Fish and Amphibians

It’s a double-dose of Alex from Orangetheory as she joins Danielle and Kate from the Sonography Program at Rockford Career College.  Is it a boy?  Is it a girl?  We’ll all soon know! To start your next career, get going at www.rockfordcareercollege.edu.  http://bit.ly/2N9LXcY

Bacteria living on the skin of frogs could save them from a deadly virus, new research suggests.  Ranavirus kills large numbers of European common frogs - the species most often seen in UK ponds - and is one of many threats facing amphibians worldwide.  Scientists from the University of Exeter and ZSL's Institute of Zoology compared the bacteria living on frogs - known as their "microbiome" - from groups with varying history of ranavirus. They found that populations with a history of outbreaks had a "distinct" skin microbiome when compared to those where no outbreaks had occurred. "Whether a population of frogs becomes diseased might depend on the species of bacteria living on their skin," said Dr Lewis Campbell. "Ranavirus is widespread, but its presence in the environment doesn't necessarily mean frogs become diseased - there appears to be some other factor that determines this. "The skin is often the first infection point in ran...

Bacteria living on the skin of frogs could save them from a deadly virus, new research suggests. Ranavirus kills large numbers of European common frogs -- the species most often seen in UK ponds -- and is one of many threats facing amphibians worldwide. Scientists from the University of Exeter and ZSL's Institute of Zoology compared the bacteria living on frogs -- known as their "microbiome" -- from groups with varying history of ranavirus. They found that populations with a history of outbreaks had a "distinct" skin microbiome when compared to those where no outbreaks had occurred. "Whether a population of frogs becomes diseased might depend on the species of bacteria living on their skin," said Dr Lewis Campbell. "Ranavirus is widespread, but its presence in the environment doesn't necessarily mean frogs become diseased -- there appears to be some other factor that determines this. "The skin is often the first infection point in ...

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is hosting a Reptile and Amphibian Walk on Friday at the Kasota Prairie SNA. DNR Information Officer Dan Ruiter said it’s a great chance to learn about animals and their habitats. DNR staff will lead the 2-hour walk beginning at 10a.m. and present information on reptiles and amphibians inhabiting the Prairie. Participants are encouraged to plan ahead since there are no restrooms or drinking are at the site. The hike will take place rain or shine. http://bit.ly/2FBv0lN

Beriev holds a number of orders for Be-200ChS from international customers (UAC) At the ongoing Paris Air Show, Russia’s Beriev Aircraft Company, which is part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), has expanded its existing sales contract from five to seven Be-200ChS amphibians to a Chilean customer. Yury Grudinin, Beriev’s general director, has revealed that deliveries to customer Asesorias CBP are scheduled for 2020 and 2021. “What we are offering today is a complex solution which, along with the aircraft includes a waterdrome project and aftersales support system,” he explains. The contract with the Chilean company was originally signed in September 2018. At the time Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC) was making arrangements for re-powering the Be-200 with SaM-146 engines produced by a Russo-French joint venture between UEC-Saturn and Safran Aircraft Engines. However, in the spring of this year, the word was spread that the re-engining project had been suspended . ...

DNR biologists to provide educational opportunity for public on June 21. The public have an opportunity to learn about the diverse population of reptiles and amphibians living near the Minnesota River, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota DNR staff will lead a reptile and amphibian hike at Kasota Prairie Scientific and Natural Area on June 21. Kasota Prairie SNA is home to small areas of wetland, rock outcrop and woodland in addition to its namesake prairie. “Kasota Prairie SNA has more to offer than wildflowers,” said DNR SNA specialist Brad Bolduan. “Its surface bedrock also contributes to a diverse population of reptiles there.” Bolduan and DNR herpetologist Jeff LeClere will lead the Friday morning walk and present information on reptiles and amphibians inhabiting Kasota Prairie SNA. “This is a good opportunity for people to learn about the wildlife in the area,” said Bolduan. “We welcome people of all experience levels to participate.” ...

SALT LAKE CITY — Spotting a lizard sunning itself on a rock adds a bit of excitement to any outdoor adventure. For some people, collecting amphibians or reptiles that they find in the wild is a popular activity. The Utah Wildlife Board recently approved a new rule that makes it easier to do just that. This new rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. Utah is home to approximately 61 native species of reptiles and 15 native species of amphibians. The rule change will simplify the process for the public to collect, possess and breed non-venomous native reptiles and amphibians caught in the wild. It will also allow for the sale of captive-born reptiles and amphibians. Previously, people interested in collecting, possessing and/or breeding native amphibians and reptiles were required to obtain a certificate of registration. The process could be complicated, lengthy and sometimes expensive. And most of the highly sought-after native species in Utah were previously categorized as either “co...

What to Know A 2014 initiative to reintroduce the California red-legged frog to the Santa Monica Mountains is struggling seven months after the fire. The Woolsey Fire burned much of the amphibians’ surrounding habitat, forcing ecologists to restart the species’ restoration efforts. Biologists have reported that the source population is going strong with another 78 egg masses found, now totaling 84 this year. The threatened California red-legged frog population had been flourishing in the Santa Monica Mountains. Then the Woolsey Fire struck and burned much of the rare amphibians’ surrounding habitat, forcing ecologists to re-start the species’ restoration efforts. A 2014 initiative to reintroduce the California red-legged frog-- the state's official amphibian  -- to the Santa Monica Mountains is struggling seven months after the wildfire that rampaged from Ventura County to the Malibu coast. The deadly fire consumed 88 percent of National Park Service land in the a...

Almost 40 plant species have gone extinct in the Western Cape since 1900, making it one of the hot spots for plant extinction on the planet. A new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, found that across the world about 600 trees, flowers, and fruit-bearing plants have died out since 1900, a rate of about three species a year. This is about 500 times higher than the background extinction rate - the natural rate at which plants would become extinct - scientists would expect. The researchers used data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species, combined with records of plant species which had become threatened or gone extinct over the last three decades. In May, the UN's Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services predicted that more than one million of all species were threatened with extinction. However, the new study is the first to look at how plants have fared since...

KASOTA — The hunt will be on Friday morning for snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, or maybe a northern prairie skink. The Department of Natural Resources Scientific Natural Areas staff will take people on a two-hour hike through the Kasota Prairie on a reptile and amphibian walk. It is the first walk of its kind at Kasota Prairie. Kasota Prairie SNA is home to small areas of wetland, rock outcrop and woodland in addition to its namesake prairie. “Kasota Prairie has more to offer than wildflowers,” said DNR SNA specialist Brad Bolduan. “Its surface bedrock also contributes to a diverse population of reptiles there.” He said the western part of the prairie is more prone to produce sightings. "There's more exposed rocks with crevices there that reptiles like." To up their odds of sightings, they put down pieces of plywood in different areas, which reptiles and amphibians like to take cover under. Bolduan said he's seen fox snakes, garter snake...

Plants in the Western Cape are becoming extinct faster than anywhere else on earth except Hawaii, a study shows. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks Study shows 40 species have become extinct since 1900. By Sarah Wild for GROUNDUP. First published by GroundUp Almost 40 plant species have become extinct in the Western Cape since 1900, making it one of the hot spots for plant extinction on the planet. A new study, published in journal Nature Ecology and Evolution , found that across the world about 600 trees, flowers, and fruit-bearing plants have died out since 1900, a rate of about three species a year. This is about 500 times higher than the background extinction rate – the natural rate at which plants would become extinct – scientists would expect. The researchers used data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, combined with records of plant species which had become threatened or gone extinct over the last three decades. The United Nati...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Students learn about reptiles, amphibians as herpetology camp - Salisbury Post    Salisbury Post Students learned about reptiles and amphibians Tuesday during a herpetology camp at Dan Nicholas Park. Photos by Bernadine Hernandez/Salisbury Post ... http://bit.ly/2Kp3NXh

Q: As much as I enjoy catching sight of oriole nests in the winter when all the leaves are gone, I've never seen orioles building their nest. What material do they use? A: Most birds are fairly secretive as they go about nest building, to avoid being spotted by a predator, such as squirrels and crows, that might return later on a raiding visit. The female gathers grasses, wool, bark from vines, twine, fishing line, even cellophane, then pokes them into an elaborate knot and tangle shape. Many orioles will visit an old nest to recycle its materials. Nectar-dependent? Q: We feed hummingbirds all summer and get quite a few at our eight feeders. We're wondering whether the little birds become dependent on them and will have problems when we're away for much of August this year. A: I don't think you need to worry about the hummingbirds that have been visiting your feeders. By August, there are so many flowers in bloom in backyards and in the wild, and so many tiny insec...

I have always tried to keep a positive outlook on life, but it seems it gets harder each year. There is always a sad note in out outdoor news. For years scientists have been concerned about the warming temperatures in the world’s oceans and how it will affect their aquatic life. Sad to say it has already begun. Researchers have checked fishing data from 1930 to 2010 and came up with some very interesting information. In some places the fish population has increased, in other sites the news is not so good. Among the hard hit areas are the northeast Atlantic and Sea of Japan. Both of these regions saw a decline of up to 35%. Overall the total decline was about 4%. Now overfishing and poor fish management are probably some of these losses, but in these regions increasing temperatures may be the main culprit as the water is warming faster than anticipated. Another problem that I am really concerned about is what is happening with our frogs and other amphibians. This is chytridiomycosis....

AT&T Communications Inc. Location: Houston Date of Notice: March 22, 2018 Number of Employees Laid Off: 117 AT&T Communications Inc. Location: Houston Date of Notice: March 22, 2018 Number of Employees Laid Off: 117 Photo: Lisa Poole, AP Photo: Lisa Poole, AP Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Image 1 of 20 AT&T Communications Inc. Location: Houston Date of Notice: March 22, 2018 Number of Employees Laid Off: 117 AT&T Communications Inc. Location: Houston Date of Notice: March 22, 2018 Number of Employees Laid Off: 117 Photo: Lisa Poole, AP Houston Layoffs 2019 1  /  20 Back to Gallery Syngenta AG, a pesticide and seed company, will lay off 135 full-time employees and another 160 contractors in Houston this year as the company closes its Greens Bayou facility near the Port of Houston. The manufacturing plant produces chlorothalonil, a pesticide that was recently banned in Europe...

Spotting a lizard sunning itself on a rock adds a bit of excitement to any outdoor adventure. For some people, collecting amphibians or reptiles that they find in the wild is a popular activity. On June 6, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a new rule that makes it easier to do just that. Utah is home to approximately 61 native species of reptiles and 15 native species of amphibians. The rule change will simplify the process for the public to collect, possess and breed non-venomous native reptiles and amphibians caught in the wild. It will also allow for the sale of captive-born reptiles and amphibians, according to a press release from the board. Previously, people interested in collecting, possessing and/or breeding native amphibians and reptiles were required to obtain a certificate of registration. The process could be complicated, lengthy and sometimes expensive. And most of the highly sought-after native species in Utah were previously categorized as either “controlled” or “prohi...

Jamie Voyles is looking from another angle at how infectious disease can bring species to extinction, and what can be done to combat it. With a new grant from the National Science Foundation, she will investigate how disease outbreaks subside. A recent scientific paper, on which she is a co-author, detailed how amphibians are being devastated to extinction around the world, with as many as 90 species now extinct and 500 species experiencing dramatic population declines. "While disease is driving amphibian species to decline, we have also found that some species are hanging on and we are studying why that may have occurred," Voyles, a biologist in the University of Nevada, Reno College of Science, said. Her project caught the eye of the NSF, which has awarded Voyles a CAREER Award of $730,000 for her project "An Integrative Approach to Understanding Infectious Disease Dynamics." "It is challenging to pinpoint the specific host defenses that reduce disease se...

Free fingers have many obvious advantages on land, such as in locomotion and grasping, while webbed fingers are typical of aquatic or gliding animals. But both amphibians and amniotes -- which include mammals, reptiles, and birds -- can have webbed digits. In new research from Japan, scientists show for the first time that during embryo development, some animal species detect the presence of atmospheric oxygen, which triggers removal of interdigital webbing. Their research appears June 13 in the journal Developmental Cell . Amphibians -- animals like frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts -- form fingers without webbing by differential growth patterns between the digits and the areas between them, or interdigital regions. By comparison, amniotes rely on interdigital cell death, or death of cells in the webbing between digits, a mechanism that contributes to a greater variation of limb shapes. "We found that the removal of the interdigital membrane by cell death depends on the pro...

The presence of webbed fingers on an animal typically indicate that the species either lives in an aquatic environment, or gets around by gliding through the air, as these are where webbed fingers have an advantage. On land, free fingers allow us and many other species to grasp objects and move around easily. But how does the developing body decide whether its fingers should be webbed or free? New research published in the journal Developmental Cell has found that during embryo development, some animal species detect the presence of atmospheric oxygen , which causes the removal of interdigital webbing. Amphibians and amniotes – which includes mammals, reptiles, and birds – can have webbed digits. Amniotes rely on interdigital cell death to form fingers, while amphibians have differential growth patterns between the digits and the areas between them, known as interdigital regions. The researchers found that removal of the interdigital membrane through cell death by amniotes depends ...

The days of catching tadpoles and lizards at the pond are over, according to a Saanich nature sanctuary. The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society issued a news release this week, warning the public of the dangers of removing reptiles and amphibians from their natural habitats. “Our reptile and amphibian populations are small, fragmented and over half of these species in the province are at risk of becoming endangered,” the group wrote. “Therefore, it is imperative that every individual remains healthy and a part of the breeding population.” The group noted it isn’t a zoo or rehabilitation facility. Native wildlife does not thrive in captivity and the sanctuary stressed it does not endorse collecting and keeping native animals. “It is actually against the law, as outlined in the Wildlife Act, and you can receive a fine from a Conservation Officer no matter how well intentioned you are.” READ ALSO: New virgin queen headlines ‘Bee Day’ at Saanich sanctuary Anyone who h...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] DWR approves change for easier collection of non-venomous native reptiles, amphibians    KUTV 2News The Utah Wildlife Board approved a new rule last week that makes it easier for the public to collect and possess amphibians or reptiles found in the wild. http://bit.ly/2IszV8U

T wice the number of plants have been driven to extinction in the last 250 years than all the birds, mammals and amphibians combined, a 30 year research project has found. Scientists, including experts from The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew , discovered that 571 species have completely disappeared in the wild since the middle of the 18th century. Kew botanist Rafael Govaerts has spent the last 30 years reviewing all publications on plant extinctions and found the number was four times more than are registered in current listings, with species disappearing at 500 times the natural rate. Many have been eradicated through man-made habitat loss, such as the Hieracium Hethlandiae, a small yellow flower... http://bit.ly/2F1HClL

When researcher Lainy Day from the University of Mississippi first tested the ability of amphibians and lizards to store a mental map in their brains roughly 20 years ago, it appeared that none were capable of forming complex spatial memories. At the time, Sabrina Burmeister of the University of North Carolina thought that Day should’ve tested the memories of poison dart frogs, as these amphibians can recall the locations of pools of water in the forest canopies where they hatch their tadpoles. Now, Burmeister and graduate student Yuxiang Liu have published a study in the Journal of Experimental Biology that details their findings in determining whether poison dart frogs ( Dendrobates auratus ) have spatial awareness. The standard for testing spatial awareness of rodents is the use of a Morris water maze, which is a platform submerged in a pool of water and surrounded by objects the animal can use to orient themselves in order to find the platform. “We knew that the frogs ha...

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Wildlife Board last week approved a new rule that makes it easier to collect amphibians or reptiles found in the wild. The rule change, which will take effect Jan. 1, simplifies the process for collecting, possessing and breeding nonvenomous native reptiles and amphibians. It will also allow for the sale of captive-born reptiles and amphibians. Previously, those interested in collecting, possessing or breeding the animals were required to obtain a certificate of registration, which could be complicated and sometimes expensive. The new rule requires collectors to take an online education course covering the laws, safety considerations and conservation ethics, and obtain a permit online. The education course certificate is valid for three years. The new rule excludes sensitive species, including the Gila monster, Mojave desert tortoise, Arizona toad, Western boreal toad, relict leopard frog and Columbia spotted frog. There is also a limit on the number...