Scuba-diving #lizards use bubble to breathe underwater, avoid predators https://phys.org/news/2024-09-scuba-lizards-underwater-predators.html

Novel rebreathing adaptation extends dive time in a semi-aquatic lizard https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0371

Lindsey Swerk: "We know that they can stay underwater for a really long time. We also know that they're pulling oxygen from this bubble... this is the first experiment that truly shows the significance of bubbles. Rebreathing bubbles allows lizards to stay underwater longer."

DNA in the feces of snow leopards shows alpine #cats eat plants https://phys.org/news/2024-06-dna-feces-leopards-alpine-cats.html

Metabarcoding analysis provides insight into the link between prey and plant intake in a large alpine cat carnivore, the snow leopard https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240132

"#felids do eat #plants despite their classification as #carnivores. In particular, Panthera uncia—or snow #leopards—seem to have a preference for a specific plant... The plant genus #Myricaria appeared the most frequently"

Madagascar: #GiantTortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out https://theconversation.com/madagascar-giant-tortoises-have-returned-600-years-after-they-were-wiped-out-221615 @ConversationUS

"A six-year-old project to return giant #tortoises to the wild in #Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years. The first group of #AldabraGiantTortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were brought in from the #Seychelles in 2018, and have been reproducing on their own since."

Researchers discover #birds with neurotoxin-laden feathers in New Guinea https://phys.org/news/2023-03-birds-neurotoxin-laden-feathers-guinea.html paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.16878

"they found me with a runny nose and tears in my eyes. I was just sitting there taking feather samples from a #Pitohui, one of the most #PoisonousBirds on the planet. Removing birds from the net isn't bad, but when samples need to be taken in a confined environment, you can feel something in your eyes and nose. It's a bit like cutting onions—but with a nerve agent"