This is why 75 per cent of pet reptiles die within a year – via Herp Digest

New Indian Express, October 27, 2017  

LONDON: Keeping reptiles and amphibians such as turtles, snakes and lizards as pets may be fatal for them, warns a study which found that 75 per cent of these animals die during their first year in the home.

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium reviewed issues such as disease transmission to humans, welfare problems associated with poor care, and the ecological implications of trading wild animals.

The study, published in the journal Veterinary Record, found that 75 per cent of reptiles die during their first year in the home.

Researchers also found that inappropriate management and nutrition by inexperienced keepers remains a concern.

"Keeping reptiles and amphibians presents a disproportionate burden on public health or animal welfare compared to that posed by the keeping of other companion animals," said Frank Pasmans and Tom Hellebuyck from Ghent University.

"We therefore do not see any valid reasons to selectively restrict the keeping of reptiles and amphibians for these reasons," they said.

The team outlined several measures to mitigate health, welfare and conservation risks, such as introducing minimal care requirements, improving pet keeper education, enforcing quarantine and entry controls, closing legal loopholes to prevent trade in wild animals, and increasing access to specialist veterinary care.

Fruit-eating increases biodiversity

Date:  October 23, 2017

Source:  Universiteit van Amsterdam (UVA)

Summary:

By dispersing the seeds of plants, fruit-eating animals contribute to the possibility of increased plant speciation and thus biodiversity, investigators have discovered.

By dispersing the seeds of plants, fruit-eating animals contribute to the possibility of increased plant speciation and thus biodiversity. These are the findings of a new study led by Renske E. Onstein and W. Daniel Kissling, researchers at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED). The results were published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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Climate shifts shorten marine food chain off California

Research counters earlier thinking that food chains remain constant through time

Date:  October 19, 2017

Source:  NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region

Summary:

Environmental disturbances such as El Niño shake up the marine food web off Southern California, new research shows, countering conventional thinking that the hierarchy of who-eats-who in the ocean remains largely constant over time.

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Pumas found to exhibit behaviors like social animals

Findings could raise questions about all solitary carnivores

Date: October 12, 2017

Source: Panthera

Summary:

Pumas, long known as solitary carnivores, are more social than previously thought, according to a new study. The findings provide the first evidence of complex social strategies in any solitary carnivore -- and may have implications for multiple species, including other wild cats around the world.

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Atrazine alters the sex ratio in Blanchard's cricket frogs

Date: October 13, 2017

Source: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Summary:

A study found that Blanchard's cricket frogs are highly sensitive to atrazine. When exposed, there were up to 55 percent fewer males than females compared with the control group, indicating that atrazine can affect the sex ratio. However, cricket frog populations do persist in areas with widespread atrazine application, despite reports of range contractions for enigmatic reasons.

Continued