Lure-fishing animals

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. There are lots of amazing examples of animal mimicry. This post focuses on one particular category: those that use lures to attract prey. But, you ask, how does an animal, other than a (human) fisherman, […]

Encounters with snapping turtles

Snapping turtles – big, powerful and with long claws, snake-like neck, and beak-like jaws – are an impressive sight to behold. The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is abundant in freshwaters across most of the United States. With a shell length up to 20 inches and weight of 35 pounds, they are the largest turtle […]

Caterpillars mimicking snakes

A few weeks ago, in the Everglades, I came upon an interesting caterpillar. It had a spotted pattern, with the spot closest to the head looking remarkably similar to a vertebrate eye. I managed to get a few photos from different angles and even a video showing its rocking back-and-forth crawling movement. The encounter got […]

Predatory tortoises and iguanas

Living reptiles include the tuatara, lizards, snakes, turtles (and tortoises), and crocodilians (see below Figure). Reptiles are primarily carnivorous (i.e. preying upon and eating other animals), with some variation amongst the different groups. The tuatara, an ancient lineage represented by a single living species endemic to New Zealand, is carnivorous. All crocodilians (24 species) are […]

Kayak fishing for peacock bass

Butterfly peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) are undoubtedly one of the world’s most striking freshwater fish. This species is actually a large predatory cichlid. In an earlier post on pike killifish, I pointed out that the elongated ‘pike’ body shape has evolved convergently in many different, and distantly related, groups of fish. Another successful predatory fish […]

Alligators and Crocodiles in South Florida

A google search for ‘difference between alligator and crocodile’ returns 30 million search results. Physical differences include alligators having round U-shaped snouts and crocodiles pointed V-shaped snouts, alligators being dark green or black and crocodiles generally lighter green or grey in coloration, and alligators having only the upper teeth visible when the mouth is closed […]

The ecology of fishing jaguars

An interesting new paper describes how a diet composed almost entirely of fish and caiman (a relative of the alligator) has likely allowed jaguars in the Pantanal, Brazil’s vast wetland, to reach high population density, caused territorial breakdown, and led to unexpected social interactions (cooperative fishing, co-traveling, and playing) between unrelated adults. Across most of […]

Iguanas in Florida

Three introduced species of iguana are found in South Florida. Two of these are common: The black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) and the green iguana (Iguana iguana). A third, the western spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosarua pectinata), is found in only a single location. The species Ctenosaura similis goes by the common names black spiny-tailed iguana, black […]

Underwater everglades

South Florida’s Everglades are one of the largest wetlands in the world. The region is famous for its seemingly endless sawgrass prairies that are seasonally flooded, and abundant wildlife – including alligators. The Everglades also contain a lot of interesting species of fish, both native and introduced. I recently took some underwater videos which illustrate […]

Caecilians (legless Amphibians) found in the U.S.A. for the first time

Caecilians are fascinating creatures. Within the Class Amphibia, they have their own Order (Gymnophiona) and are much less well known or studied than their cousins the frogs and toads (Order Anura), and salamanders and newts (Order Caudata). There are 215 recognized species of Caecilians (AmphibiaWeb). All caecilians are legless with very small eyes, and range […]