Javier Rodriguez-Robles
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520238183
- eISBN:
- 9780520930001
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520238183.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is a leading center of herpetological research in the United States. This book offers a brief ...
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The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is a leading center of herpetological research in the United States. This book offers a brief account of the principal figures associated with the collection and of the most important events in the history of herpetology in the MVZ during its first 93 years, and lists all type specimens of recent amphibians and nonavian reptiles in the collection. Although the MVZ has existed since 1908, until 1945 there was no formal curator for the collection of amphibians and nonavian reptiles. Since that time Robert C. Stebbins, David B. Wake, Harry W. Greene, Javier A. Rodrìguez-Robles (in an interim capacity), and Craig Moritz have served in that position. The herpetological collection of the MVZ was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and, as of December 31, 2001, contained 232,254 specimens. Taxonomically, the collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 99,176 specimens, followed by “lizards” (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (24,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (3). Whereas the collection's emphasis historically has been on the western United States, and on California in particular, representatives of taxa from many other parts of the world are present. The 1,765 type specimens in the MVZ comprise 120 holotypes, three neotypes, three syntypes, and 1,639 paratopotypes and paratypes; 83 of the holotypes were originally described as full species. Of the 196 amphibian and nonavian reptilian taxa represented by type material, most were collected in México (63) and California, USA (54).Less
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is a leading center of herpetological research in the United States. This book offers a brief account of the principal figures associated with the collection and of the most important events in the history of herpetology in the MVZ during its first 93 years, and lists all type specimens of recent amphibians and nonavian reptiles in the collection. Although the MVZ has existed since 1908, until 1945 there was no formal curator for the collection of amphibians and nonavian reptiles. Since that time Robert C. Stebbins, David B. Wake, Harry W. Greene, Javier A. Rodrìguez-Robles (in an interim capacity), and Craig Moritz have served in that position. The herpetological collection of the MVZ was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and, as of December 31, 2001, contained 232,254 specimens. Taxonomically, the collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 99,176 specimens, followed by “lizards” (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (24,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (3). Whereas the collection's emphasis historically has been on the western United States, and on California in particular, representatives of taxa from many other parts of the world are present. The 1,765 type specimens in the MVZ comprise 120 holotypes, three neotypes, three syntypes, and 1,639 paratopotypes and paratypes; 83 of the holotypes were originally described as full species. Of the 196 amphibian and nonavian reptilian taxa represented by type material, most were collected in México (63) and California, USA (54).
Ian P. Howard and Brian J. Rogers
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195367607
- eISBN:
- 9780199867264
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367607.003.0014
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter discusses depth vision in animals other than cats and primates. These include invertebrates, fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
This chapter discusses depth vision in animals other than cats and primates. These include invertebrates, fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
D. Dudley Williams
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198528128
- eISBN:
- 9780191713538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528128.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter presents summaries of each taxonomic group inhabiting temporary waters, providing examples of habitat-specific requirements and adaptations throughout. Insects and crustaceans are the ...
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This chapter presents summaries of each taxonomic group inhabiting temporary waters, providing examples of habitat-specific requirements and adaptations throughout. Insects and crustaceans are the dominant community members and, consequently, the best studied groups. However, information is also provided on lesser known groups, such as the prokaryotes, fungi, nematodes, tardigrades, and rotifers. Higher plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are discussed. Detailed case histories are given of the biotas from common habitat types. Global and regional comparisons of temporary water communities are made and commonality is demonstrated.Less
This chapter presents summaries of each taxonomic group inhabiting temporary waters, providing examples of habitat-specific requirements and adaptations throughout. Insects and crustaceans are the dominant community members and, consequently, the best studied groups. However, information is also provided on lesser known groups, such as the prokaryotes, fungi, nematodes, tardigrades, and rotifers. Higher plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are discussed. Detailed case histories are given of the biotas from common habitat types. Global and regional comparisons of temporary water communities are made and commonality is demonstrated.
Zachary M. Weil and David Crews
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195335903
- eISBN:
- 9780199775446
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335903.003.0016
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This chapter provides a broad overview of photoperiodic regulation of reproductive and nonreproductive responses in amphibians and reptiles. It focuses mostly on laboratory investigations of ...
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This chapter provides a broad overview of photoperiodic regulation of reproductive and nonreproductive responses in amphibians and reptiles. It focuses mostly on laboratory investigations of photoperiodic and seasonal phenomena where environmental factors can be precisely controlled, and the respective contributions of day length and environmental temperature elucidated.Less
This chapter provides a broad overview of photoperiodic regulation of reproductive and nonreproductive responses in amphibians and reptiles. It focuses mostly on laboratory investigations of photoperiodic and seasonal phenomena where environmental factors can be precisely controlled, and the respective contributions of day length and environmental temperature elucidated.
Ian P. Howard and Brian J. Rogers
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195084764
- eISBN:
- 9780199871049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195084764.003.0016
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Stereoscopic vision is particularly well developed in mammals with foveas, frontal vision, hemidecussatting visual pathways, and vergence eye movements, such as felines and primates. This chapter ...
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Stereoscopic vision is particularly well developed in mammals with foveas, frontal vision, hemidecussatting visual pathways, and vergence eye movements, such as felines and primates. This chapter discusses stereoscopic vision in other animals. These include insects and spiders, crustacea, fish, amphibia, reptiles, and birds.Less
Stereoscopic vision is particularly well developed in mammals with foveas, frontal vision, hemidecussatting visual pathways, and vergence eye movements, such as felines and primates. This chapter discusses stereoscopic vision in other animals. These include insects and spiders, crustacea, fish, amphibia, reptiles, and birds.
Richard P. Hilton
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520233157
- eISBN:
- 9780520928459
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520233157.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book explores the Mesozoic reptile fossil discoveries made in California. It describes the fossils and what they tell about the animals that they were a part of, and it chronicles the efforts of ...
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This book explores the Mesozoic reptile fossil discoveries made in California. It describes the fossils and what they tell about the animals that they were a part of, and it chronicles the efforts of those who made the discoveries. It first describes every Mesozoic reptile that has been found and identified in California and then explores the history of their discovery. It concludes with astonishing discoveries made in southern California and Baja California.Less
This book explores the Mesozoic reptile fossil discoveries made in California. It describes the fossils and what they tell about the animals that they were a part of, and it chronicles the efforts of those who made the discoveries. It first describes every Mesozoic reptile that has been found and identified in California and then explores the history of their discovery. It concludes with astonishing discoveries made in southern California and Baja California.
Wade Sherbrooke
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520228252
- eISBN:
- 9780520926752
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520228252.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This book features detailed species accounts; gives information on horned lizard biology, ecology, and evolution; and describes the role of these reptiles in mythology, culture, and art. It covers ...
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This book features detailed species accounts; gives information on horned lizard biology, ecology, and evolution; and describes the role of these reptiles in mythology, culture, and art. It covers the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and includes all species of horned lizards.Less
This book features detailed species accounts; gives information on horned lizard biology, ecology, and evolution; and describes the role of these reptiles in mythology, culture, and art. It covers the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and includes all species of horned lizards.
Whit Gibbons
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520235922
- eISBN:
- 9780520929432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520235922.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
Disease, pollution, invasive species, overcollecting, global changes, and other causes have been documented or proposed to be responsible for particular or widespread amphibian population declines. ...
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Disease, pollution, invasive species, overcollecting, global changes, and other causes have been documented or proposed to be responsible for particular or widespread amphibian population declines. Yet, finding solutions for any of these causes will not matter for most species in the long term if the basic components of their natural habitats are degraded or eliminated by human use of natural resources. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) is an initiative designed to find solutions to the loss of habitat and other problems faced by herpetofauna. Groups or individuals with an agenda involving beleaguered amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) are encouraged to become involved with PARC. PARC differs from many other conservation groups. PARC recognizes that reptiles are more globally threatened than are amphibians, and, hence, these two major classes of vertebrates are coupled in conservation efforts. PARC has been organized to involve not only the person or group with a concern for amphibians and their habitats, but also any person or group whose actions and attitudes are perceived by some as detrimental to the well-being of amphibians.Less
Disease, pollution, invasive species, overcollecting, global changes, and other causes have been documented or proposed to be responsible for particular or widespread amphibian population declines. Yet, finding solutions for any of these causes will not matter for most species in the long term if the basic components of their natural habitats are degraded or eliminated by human use of natural resources. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) is an initiative designed to find solutions to the loss of habitat and other problems faced by herpetofauna. Groups or individuals with an agenda involving beleaguered amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) are encouraged to become involved with PARC. PARC differs from many other conservation groups. PARC recognizes that reptiles are more globally threatened than are amphibians, and, hence, these two major classes of vertebrates are coupled in conservation efforts. PARC has been organized to involve not only the person or group with a concern for amphibians and their habitats, but also any person or group whose actions and attitudes are perceived by some as detrimental to the well-being of amphibians.
J. Alan Holman
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780195112320
- eISBN:
- 9780197561096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780195112320.003.0010
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Palaeontology: Earth Sciences
In Chapter 5 we have seen that Pleistocene herpetofaunas are often used to suggest paleoenvironmental conditions. The present chapter discusses the ...
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In Chapter 5 we have seen that Pleistocene herpetofaunas are often used to suggest paleoenvironmental conditions. The present chapter discusses the validity of this use. With the exception of behavioral responses (and a few quasi-physiological adaptations in reptiles), herpetological species are poorly adapted to resist temperature changes. Or, to put it another way, amphibians and reptiles lack the complex internal physiological mechanisms that interact to regulate temperature in endotherms. This has led to the assumption by many that herpetological species, because of their supposed greater sensitivity to temperature changes, arc much better indicators of local thermal conditions than are birds and mammals. Moreover, most Quaternary amphibians and reptiles represent extant species whose ecological tolerances and habitat preferences are well known, whereas many Pleistocene endotherms, especially large mammals, are extinct species whose ecological traits and specific habitat requirements are not totally understood. This suggests that Pleistocene herpetofaunas should give more refined information about specific habitats than endothermic faunas. Also, it can be argued that most amphibian and reptile species are more spatially confined than endothermic ones (especially birds and large mammals) and that Pleistocene herpetological species indicate paleoenvironmental conditions of more restricted areas. Bailón and Rage (1992) address this subject in the light of their European experience: "They (amphibians and reptiles] arc unable to compensate for large climatic variations as endotherms (birds and mammals) can; therefore each amphibian and reptile species can live only in a definite climate." (p. 95). Moreover,… Amphibians and reptiles present another advantage: whereas endotherm vertebrates are represented in Quaternary fossiliferous localities by a not negligible percentage of extinct species, practically all fossil amphibians and reptiles of that age belong to extant species. If a species is extinct its ecological requirements cannot be known with certainty and arc open to speculation whereas living species present in fossiliferous assemblages afford accurate information, (p. 95)… They also state that the size of reptile home ranges is small, and that as these species are not the preferred prey of predaccous birds, they are probably not an admixture of species that live in a wide area around the locality. Let us examine these assumptions.
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In Chapter 5 we have seen that Pleistocene herpetofaunas are often used to suggest paleoenvironmental conditions. The present chapter discusses the validity of this use. With the exception of behavioral responses (and a few quasi-physiological adaptations in reptiles), herpetological species are poorly adapted to resist temperature changes. Or, to put it another way, amphibians and reptiles lack the complex internal physiological mechanisms that interact to regulate temperature in endotherms. This has led to the assumption by many that herpetological species, because of their supposed greater sensitivity to temperature changes, arc much better indicators of local thermal conditions than are birds and mammals. Moreover, most Quaternary amphibians and reptiles represent extant species whose ecological tolerances and habitat preferences are well known, whereas many Pleistocene endotherms, especially large mammals, are extinct species whose ecological traits and specific habitat requirements are not totally understood. This suggests that Pleistocene herpetofaunas should give more refined information about specific habitats than endothermic faunas. Also, it can be argued that most amphibian and reptile species are more spatially confined than endothermic ones (especially birds and large mammals) and that Pleistocene herpetological species indicate paleoenvironmental conditions of more restricted areas. Bailón and Rage (1992) address this subject in the light of their European experience: "They (amphibians and reptiles] arc unable to compensate for large climatic variations as endotherms (birds and mammals) can; therefore each amphibian and reptile species can live only in a definite climate." (p. 95). Moreover,… Amphibians and reptiles present another advantage: whereas endotherm vertebrates are represented in Quaternary fossiliferous localities by a not negligible percentage of extinct species, practically all fossil amphibians and reptiles of that age belong to extant species. If a species is extinct its ecological requirements cannot be known with certainty and arc open to speculation whereas living species present in fossiliferous assemblages afford accurate information, (p. 95)… They also state that the size of reptile home ranges is small, and that as these species are not the preferred prey of predaccous birds, they are probably not an admixture of species that live in a wide area around the locality. Let us examine these assumptions.
J. Alan Holman
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780195112320
- eISBN:
- 9780197561096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780195112320.003.0012
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Palaeontology: Earth Sciences
As we have seen in Chapter 4, many invalid European Pleistocene amphibian and reptile species were named on the basis of insufficient and inadequately ...
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As we have seen in Chapter 4, many invalid European Pleistocene amphibian and reptile species were named on the basis of insufficient and inadequately described fossils (e.g., Estes, 1981, 1983; Rage, 1984c; Sanchiz, in press). Some of these forms have been synonymized with modern species, but others are in taxonomic limbo because of the international rules of zoological nomenclature. We now turn to a consideration of the few European Pleistocene fossil herpetological species that have been recognized as valid in recent years. These taxa fit into three catagories: (1) an extinct Pliocene anuran taxon that extended into the Pleistocene, (2) large Lacerta species that lived on oceanic islands, and (3) Pleistocene species that are probably morphological variants of living forms. All of the following taxa are addressed in Chapter 4. No extinct species of Pleistocene salamanders are currently recognized in Britain or Europe. The genus * Pliobatrachus from the Pliocene of eastern Europe extended into the Lower Pleistocene of Poland and the Middle Pleistocene of Germany in the form of * Pliobatrachus cf. Pliobatrachus langhae. The *Palaeobatrachidae, the only family in the history of the Anura that became totally extinct (Roček, 1995), represents the only extinct herpetological family known in the Pleistocene of Britain and Europe, and *Pliobalrachus represents the only extinct herpetologcal genus known in the Pleistocene of the region. Rocck (1995) suggested that the *Palaeobatrachidae did not survive the Pleistocene cooling because of their prevailingly aquatic mode of life, unlike, for instance, the Ranidac and Bufonidae that were able to withdraw from iceobliterated areas and return when climatic conditions improved. *Lacerta goliath is a Pleistocene or Holocene species that is known only from two localities in the Canary islands (see Chapters 4 and 5). It is twice the size of Lacerta lepida, the largest modern European Lacerta. *Lacerta maxima is another very large Pleistocene or Holocene Lacerta that is endemic to the Canary Islands. This species is known from a single fossil locality (see Chapters 4 and 5) and is differentiated from * Lacerta goliath on the basis of several trenchant osteological characters.
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As we have seen in Chapter 4, many invalid European Pleistocene amphibian and reptile species were named on the basis of insufficient and inadequately described fossils (e.g., Estes, 1981, 1983; Rage, 1984c; Sanchiz, in press). Some of these forms have been synonymized with modern species, but others are in taxonomic limbo because of the international rules of zoological nomenclature. We now turn to a consideration of the few European Pleistocene fossil herpetological species that have been recognized as valid in recent years. These taxa fit into three catagories: (1) an extinct Pliocene anuran taxon that extended into the Pleistocene, (2) large Lacerta species that lived on oceanic islands, and (3) Pleistocene species that are probably morphological variants of living forms. All of the following taxa are addressed in Chapter 4. No extinct species of Pleistocene salamanders are currently recognized in Britain or Europe. The genus * Pliobatrachus from the Pliocene of eastern Europe extended into the Lower Pleistocene of Poland and the Middle Pleistocene of Germany in the form of * Pliobatrachus cf. Pliobatrachus langhae. The *Palaeobatrachidae, the only family in the history of the Anura that became totally extinct (Roček, 1995), represents the only extinct herpetological family known in the Pleistocene of Britain and Europe, and *Pliobalrachus represents the only extinct herpetologcal genus known in the Pleistocene of the region. Rocck (1995) suggested that the *Palaeobatrachidae did not survive the Pleistocene cooling because of their prevailingly aquatic mode of life, unlike, for instance, the Ranidac and Bufonidae that were able to withdraw from iceobliterated areas and return when climatic conditions improved. *Lacerta goliath is a Pleistocene or Holocene species that is known only from two localities in the Canary islands (see Chapters 4 and 5). It is twice the size of Lacerta lepida, the largest modern European Lacerta. *Lacerta maxima is another very large Pleistocene or Holocene Lacerta that is endemic to the Canary Islands. This species is known from a single fossil locality (see Chapters 4 and 5) and is differentiated from * Lacerta goliath on the basis of several trenchant osteological characters.
Frank H. T. Rhodes
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781501702440
- eISBN:
- 9781501706233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501702440.003.0009
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Cultural and Historical Geography
This chapter examines reptiles and the rise and fall of their early dominion over the planet through the land, sky, and sea. The secret of the reptiles' success has been the development of the ...
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This chapter examines reptiles and the rise and fall of their early dominion over the planet through the land, sky, and sea. The secret of the reptiles' success has been the development of the amniotic egg, and from here the chapter traces the origins of the early reptiles and their proliferation throughout the ages, culminating in the Mesozoic Era—the great era of “Middle Life”—which was above all else the Age of the Dinosaurs: the “kings” of the Ruling Reptiles. Dinosaurs appeared, as did the mammals, in Triassic times, about 230 million years ago, and for some 140 million years they dominated life on the land.Less
This chapter examines reptiles and the rise and fall of their early dominion over the planet through the land, sky, and sea. The secret of the reptiles' success has been the development of the amniotic egg, and from here the chapter traces the origins of the early reptiles and their proliferation throughout the ages, culminating in the Mesozoic Era—the great era of “Middle Life”—which was above all else the Age of the Dinosaurs: the “kings” of the Ruling Reptiles. Dinosaurs appeared, as did the mammals, in Triassic times, about 230 million years ago, and for some 140 million years they dominated life on the land.
Timothy J. Bradley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198569961
- eISBN:
- 9780191728273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569961.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
Many organisms living in the oceans or in salt lakes are hyporegulators, meaning that they maintain their body fluids hypo-osmotically to the external medium. Marine fish hyporegulate by drinking the ...
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Many organisms living in the oceans or in salt lakes are hyporegulators, meaning that they maintain their body fluids hypo-osmotically to the external medium. Marine fish hyporegulate by drinking the external medium and transporting sodium and chloride ions outward across the gills. Marine reptiles and birds use salt glands in the head to transport hyperosmotic fluids outward. Marine mammals are able to produce hyperosmotic urine in the kidneys. Insects use portions of the hindgut to actively transport ions out of their hemolymph. Brine shrimp are the champion hyporegulators of the animal kingdom. They use salt glands to rid their bodies of the salts accumulated in waters many times more concentrated than the oceans.Less
Many organisms living in the oceans or in salt lakes are hyporegulators, meaning that they maintain their body fluids hypo-osmotically to the external medium. Marine fish hyporegulate by drinking the external medium and transporting sodium and chloride ions outward across the gills. Marine reptiles and birds use salt glands in the head to transport hyperosmotic fluids outward. Marine mammals are able to produce hyperosmotic urine in the kidneys. Insects use portions of the hindgut to actively transport ions out of their hemolymph. Brine shrimp are the champion hyporegulators of the animal kingdom. They use salt glands to rid their bodies of the salts accumulated in waters many times more concentrated than the oceans.
Laura A. Ogden
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816670260
- eISBN:
- 9781452947372
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816670260.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Little in North America is wilder than the Florida Everglades—a landscape of frightening reptiles, exotic plants in profusion, swarms of mosquitoes, and unforgiving heat. And yet, even from the early ...
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Little in North America is wilder than the Florida Everglades—a landscape of frightening reptiles, exotic plants in profusion, swarms of mosquitoes, and unforgiving heat. And yet, even from the early days of taming the wilderness with clearing and drainage, the Everglades has been considered fragile, unique, and in need of restorative interventions. Drawing on a decade of fieldwork with hunters in the Everglades, this book explores the lives and labors of people, animals, and plants in this most delicate and tenacious ecosystem. Today, the many visions of the Everglades—protectionist, ecological, commercial, historical—have become a tangled web of contradictory practices and politics for conservation and for development. Yet within this entanglement, the place of people remains highly ambivalent. It is the role of people in the Everglades that this book focuses on, as it seeks to reclaim the landscape’s long history as a place of human activity and, in doing so, discover what it means to be human through changing relations with other animals and plant life. This book tells this story through the lives of poor rural whites, gladesmen, epitomized in tales of the Everglades’ most famous outlaws, the Ashley Gang.Less
Little in North America is wilder than the Florida Everglades—a landscape of frightening reptiles, exotic plants in profusion, swarms of mosquitoes, and unforgiving heat. And yet, even from the early days of taming the wilderness with clearing and drainage, the Everglades has been considered fragile, unique, and in need of restorative interventions. Drawing on a decade of fieldwork with hunters in the Everglades, this book explores the lives and labors of people, animals, and plants in this most delicate and tenacious ecosystem. Today, the many visions of the Everglades—protectionist, ecological, commercial, historical—have become a tangled web of contradictory practices and politics for conservation and for development. Yet within this entanglement, the place of people remains highly ambivalent. It is the role of people in the Everglades that this book focuses on, as it seeks to reclaim the landscape’s long history as a place of human activity and, in doing so, discover what it means to be human through changing relations with other animals and plant life. This book tells this story through the lives of poor rural whites, gladesmen, epitomized in tales of the Everglades’ most famous outlaws, the Ashley Gang.
J. Alan Holman
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780195112320
- eISBN:
- 9780197561096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780195112320.003.0013
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Palaeontology: Earth Sciences
This last chapter deals with differences and similarities between British and European and North American Pleistocene herpetofaunas. Compared with North ...
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This last chapter deals with differences and similarities between British and European and North American Pleistocene herpetofaunas. Compared with North America, Britain and Europe had a depauperate Pleistocene herpetofauna, which has carried over into modern times. For instance, the large, "warm" country of Spain, which by European standards has a rich modern herpetofauna, has only 13 species of snakes and four species of nonmarine turtles (Engelmann et al., 1986). On the other hand, Michigan, a northern border state with cold winters, has 17 species of snakes and 11 species of turtles (Holman et al., 1989; Harding and Holman, 1990). Indiana, just south of Michigan, has 31 species of snakes and 15 species of turtles (Minton, 1972; Brown, 1996; Conant and Collins, 1991). The southern coastal state of Florida has 45 species of snakes and 20 species of nonmarine turtles (Conant and Collins, 1991). This is almost twice as many snakes and more than three times as many nonmarine turtles as occur in Britain and Europe. In the Pleistocene, British or European herpetofaunas are considered to be rich when they contain 10 species. In North America, Pleistocene herptofaunas with more than 20 species are common, and sites with more than 40 herpetological species are known (Holman, 1995c). The reasons for these differences are as follows. Both North America and Europe became herpetologically enriched in the Miocene. But the climatic deterioration at the end of the Miocene caused a depletion of the herpetofauna in Europe. Because Europe was mainly isolated from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea and from warm areas to the east by mountain ranges and seas, its depauperate herpetofauna persisted into modern times. Ireland and Britain have even more depauperate modern herpetofaunas than the continent because these islands were cut off from the mainland before they could be reinvaded by all of the species displaced by the last glaciation (Fig. 45). In North America, however, with a vast, accessible southern land mass, and equable Pleistocene climates south of the periglacial regions (Lundelius et al., 1983), the richness of the Miocene herpetofauna persisted into Pleistocene and modern times.
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This last chapter deals with differences and similarities between British and European and North American Pleistocene herpetofaunas. Compared with North America, Britain and Europe had a depauperate Pleistocene herpetofauna, which has carried over into modern times. For instance, the large, "warm" country of Spain, which by European standards has a rich modern herpetofauna, has only 13 species of snakes and four species of nonmarine turtles (Engelmann et al., 1986). On the other hand, Michigan, a northern border state with cold winters, has 17 species of snakes and 11 species of turtles (Holman et al., 1989; Harding and Holman, 1990). Indiana, just south of Michigan, has 31 species of snakes and 15 species of turtles (Minton, 1972; Brown, 1996; Conant and Collins, 1991). The southern coastal state of Florida has 45 species of snakes and 20 species of nonmarine turtles (Conant and Collins, 1991). This is almost twice as many snakes and more than three times as many nonmarine turtles as occur in Britain and Europe. In the Pleistocene, British or European herpetofaunas are considered to be rich when they contain 10 species. In North America, Pleistocene herptofaunas with more than 20 species are common, and sites with more than 40 herpetological species are known (Holman, 1995c). The reasons for these differences are as follows. Both North America and Europe became herpetologically enriched in the Miocene. But the climatic deterioration at the end of the Miocene caused a depletion of the herpetofauna in Europe. Because Europe was mainly isolated from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea and from warm areas to the east by mountain ranges and seas, its depauperate herpetofauna persisted into modern times. Ireland and Britain have even more depauperate modern herpetofaunas than the continent because these islands were cut off from the mainland before they could be reinvaded by all of the species displaced by the last glaciation (Fig. 45). In North America, however, with a vast, accessible southern land mass, and equable Pleistocene climates south of the periglacial regions (Lundelius et al., 1983), the richness of the Miocene herpetofauna persisted into Pleistocene and modern times.
C. Kenneth Dodd (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198726135
- eISBN:
- 9780191825934
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198726135.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology, Animal Biology
This book is a practical manual of reptile field ecology and conservation and it brings together a distinguished, international group of reptile researchers to provide a review of the many new and ...
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This book is a practical manual of reptile field ecology and conservation and it brings together a distinguished, international group of reptile researchers to provide a review of the many new and exciting techniques used to study reptiles and to track their conservation status and population trends. The book is split into six parts which, following an introduction to reptiles, focus on: the study of individuals; sampling techniques; reptiles in the community; experimental applications, physiological ecology, and genetics; and trends analysis and conservation options. Separate chapters emphasize the application of field and laboratory techniques for achieving an understanding of reptile ecology, behaviour, physiology, and conservation. The book demonstrates how these subjects can be complemented by information related to morphology, population genetics, molecular techniques, veterinary medicine, statistical/modelling approaches, welfare issues, and the utility of reptiles as study animals.Less
This book is a practical manual of reptile field ecology and conservation and it brings together a distinguished, international group of reptile researchers to provide a review of the many new and exciting techniques used to study reptiles and to track their conservation status and population trends. The book is split into six parts which, following an introduction to reptiles, focus on: the study of individuals; sampling techniques; reptiles in the community; experimental applications, physiological ecology, and genetics; and trends analysis and conservation options. Separate chapters emphasize the application of field and laboratory techniques for achieving an understanding of reptile ecology, behaviour, physiology, and conservation. The book demonstrates how these subjects can be complemented by information related to morphology, population genetics, molecular techniques, veterinary medicine, statistical/modelling approaches, welfare issues, and the utility of reptiles as study animals.
Edda Bresciani
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774248580
- eISBN:
- 9781936190010
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774248580.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The primeval power of Sobek is already acknowledged in a hymn from the Pyramid Texts (PT 317), where the dead pharaoh identifies himself with the god, who here appears as son of the Great ...
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The primeval power of Sobek is already acknowledged in a hymn from the Pyramid Texts (PT 317), where the dead pharaoh identifies himself with the god, who here appears as son of the Great Neith-Meher-Weret, the celestial cow of the inundation: “Sobek, green of feathers, alert-looking, broad-chested, sparkling, coming out from the legs and the tail of the Great One, who is in splendour.” This very ancient description of the divine reptile, who in the same “Pyramid Texts” bears also the epithet of Shedite (“that of Shedet,” the capital town of the swampy region of the Fayum lake), incorporates his basic characteristics. The deification and the cult of the crocodile belong to the religious phenomenon of the ancient Egyptian animal cult. The animal specimen which embodied the god was always unique, as a new one took the place of the dead one, who was mummified and buried with solemn rituals.Less
The primeval power of Sobek is already acknowledged in a hymn from the Pyramid Texts (PT 317), where the dead pharaoh identifies himself with the god, who here appears as son of the Great Neith-Meher-Weret, the celestial cow of the inundation: “Sobek, green of feathers, alert-looking, broad-chested, sparkling, coming out from the legs and the tail of the Great One, who is in splendour.” This very ancient description of the divine reptile, who in the same “Pyramid Texts” bears also the epithet of Shedite (“that of Shedet,” the capital town of the swampy region of the Fayum lake), incorporates his basic characteristics. The deification and the cult of the crocodile belong to the religious phenomenon of the ancient Egyptian animal cult. The animal specimen which embodied the god was always unique, as a new one took the place of the dead one, who was mummified and buried with solemn rituals.
Javier A. Rodríguez-Robles, David A. Good, and David B. Wake
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520238183
- eISBN:
- 9780520930001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520238183.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The herpetological gathering of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and contained 232,254 specimens ...
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The herpetological gathering of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and contained 232,254 specimens as of December 31, 2001. The collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 99,176 specimens, followed by “lizards” (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (27,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (63). Every institution in which name-bearing specimens are deposited should publish a catalog of the type specimens in its care (Recommendation 72F.4, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999). Accounts are arranged alphabetically in the list of species by clade (Anura, Caudata, Gymnophia, Squamata, Serpentes, Testudines), family, and species in that order. All types of localities, the geographic place of capture of holotypes, neotypes, syntypes, and paratopotypes, are given in quotation marks as they appear in the original description.Less
The herpetological gathering of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and contained 232,254 specimens as of December 31, 2001. The collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 99,176 specimens, followed by “lizards” (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (27,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (63). Every institution in which name-bearing specimens are deposited should publish a catalog of the type specimens in its care (Recommendation 72F.4, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999). Accounts are arranged alphabetically in the list of species by clade (Anura, Caudata, Gymnophia, Squamata, Serpentes, Testudines), family, and species in that order. All types of localities, the geographic place of capture of holotypes, neotypes, syntypes, and paratopotypes, are given in quotation marks as they appear in the original description.
Judith S. Weis
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780199383771
- eISBN:
- 9780197562970
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199383771.003.0023
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Social Impact of Environmental Issues
The aquatic sciences have their share of scientific controversies. In some cases the controversy is the classic situation of economic benefit versus ...
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The aquatic sciences have their share of scientific controversies. In some cases the controversy is the classic situation of economic benefit versus environmental protection; in other cases it involves “genuine” scientific debate over uncertainties of the science or debate over what management option is optimal. This chapter discusses two pollution cases that pit scientists from universities or government agencies against those supported by the industry responsible for the pollution. Additional controversies that are also discussed are a disagreement over management options for shoreline protection, and a scientific disagreement over uncertainties in data on fish populations, which is usually the reason for controversies over fisheries. Controversies over effects of pollution often focus on how much (what concentration) of a chemical is needed to produce a certain harmful effect. Chemical companies tend to argue that levels of a chemical found in the environment are too low to cause problems, while environmentalists typically contend that lower levels can be harmful. One chemical about which there is sometimes controversy is oil. In the case of oil spills, debate commonly centers on how long the effects of pollution last. Oil degrades over time, resulting in less oil in the environment. The critical issue here is: When does this degradation reach a point where spilled oil is no longer harmful? Oil is a complex combination of various hydrocarbons that generally floats on water, although some lighter-weight components (the water-soluble fraction) dissolve. Weathering is a process that takes place in the air and water, in which the lightweight components evaporate, thus leaving the heavier components (e.g., tar), which have traditionally been viewed as less toxic. When oil comes into shallow water and marshes, it can coat and smother resident communities. It can sink below the surface of beaches and marshes and remain there for many years. Oil in marsh sediments undergoes some microbial breakdown but very slowly. Effects of a small oil spill (190,000 gallons of number 2 fuel oil) in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s lasted for over a decade, according to Sanders et al. (1980).
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The aquatic sciences have their share of scientific controversies. In some cases the controversy is the classic situation of economic benefit versus environmental protection; in other cases it involves “genuine” scientific debate over uncertainties of the science or debate over what management option is optimal. This chapter discusses two pollution cases that pit scientists from universities or government agencies against those supported by the industry responsible for the pollution. Additional controversies that are also discussed are a disagreement over management options for shoreline protection, and a scientific disagreement over uncertainties in data on fish populations, which is usually the reason for controversies over fisheries. Controversies over effects of pollution often focus on how much (what concentration) of a chemical is needed to produce a certain harmful effect. Chemical companies tend to argue that levels of a chemical found in the environment are too low to cause problems, while environmentalists typically contend that lower levels can be harmful. One chemical about which there is sometimes controversy is oil. In the case of oil spills, debate commonly centers on how long the effects of pollution last. Oil degrades over time, resulting in less oil in the environment. The critical issue here is: When does this degradation reach a point where spilled oil is no longer harmful? Oil is a complex combination of various hydrocarbons that generally floats on water, although some lighter-weight components (the water-soluble fraction) dissolve. Weathering is a process that takes place in the air and water, in which the lightweight components evaporate, thus leaving the heavier components (e.g., tar), which have traditionally been viewed as less toxic. When oil comes into shallow water and marshes, it can coat and smother resident communities. It can sink below the surface of beaches and marshes and remain there for many years. Oil in marsh sediments undergoes some microbial breakdown but very slowly. Effects of a small oil spill (190,000 gallons of number 2 fuel oil) in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s lasted for over a decade, according to Sanders et al. (1980).
Mahmood Sasa and Federico Bolaños
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520223097
- eISBN:
- 9780520937772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520223097.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
The herpetofauna of Mesoamerica is one of the richest and complex vertebrate faunas, involving more than 210 genera, comprising approximately 693 species of reptiles and 598 species of amphibians. ...
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The herpetofauna of Mesoamerica is one of the richest and complex vertebrate faunas, involving more than 210 genera, comprising approximately 693 species of reptiles and 598 species of amphibians. This chapter examines the biodiversity and biogeographical aspects of reptiles and amphibians in the dry-forest environments of Mesoamerica. It discusses their resource and microhabitat use, feeding ecology, reproduction, and adaptations to the changing seasonal climate. Finally, it discusses some of the recommendations for the conservation of herpetofauna of Mesoamerican dry forests.Less
The herpetofauna of Mesoamerica is one of the richest and complex vertebrate faunas, involving more than 210 genera, comprising approximately 693 species of reptiles and 598 species of amphibians. This chapter examines the biodiversity and biogeographical aspects of reptiles and amphibians in the dry-forest environments of Mesoamerica. It discusses their resource and microhabitat use, feeding ecology, reproduction, and adaptations to the changing seasonal climate. Finally, it discusses some of the recommendations for the conservation of herpetofauna of Mesoamerican dry forests.
L. Grismer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520224179
- eISBN:
- 9780520925205
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520224179.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
The Baja California peninsula is home to many forms of life found nowhere else on earth. This, combined with the peninsula's rugged and inaccessible terrain, has made the area one of the last true ...
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The Baja California peninsula is home to many forms of life found nowhere else on earth. This, combined with the peninsula's rugged and inaccessible terrain, has made the area one of the last true biological frontiers of North America. This book is a guide to the amphibians and reptiles of a fascinating and remote region. The culmination of a quarter century of fieldwork on the Baja peninsula and an exploration of more than one hundred of its islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortés, this book gives information on the identification, distribution, natural history, and taxonomy of each species of amphibian and reptile found there. Preliminary accounts of the life history of many of the salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes are reported here for the first time, and several species that were almost unknown to science are illustrated. The book also contains new data on species distribution and on the effect of the isolated landscape of the peninsula and its islands on the evolutionary process.Less
The Baja California peninsula is home to many forms of life found nowhere else on earth. This, combined with the peninsula's rugged and inaccessible terrain, has made the area one of the last true biological frontiers of North America. This book is a guide to the amphibians and reptiles of a fascinating and remote region. The culmination of a quarter century of fieldwork on the Baja peninsula and an exploration of more than one hundred of its islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortés, this book gives information on the identification, distribution, natural history, and taxonomy of each species of amphibian and reptile found there. Preliminary accounts of the life history of many of the salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes are reported here for the first time, and several species that were almost unknown to science are illustrated. The book also contains new data on species distribution and on the effect of the isolated landscape of the peninsula and its islands on the evolutionary process.
