fauna

Unfussy Female Poison Frogs Just Go For Closest Male

by Ed Yong

A female strawberry poison frog faces an abundance of choice when it comes time to breed. The forest floor is full of bright red males trying to attract her with their songs, and wrestling with other males to defend their territories. She could pick a suitor based on his size or health. She could weigh up the quality of his territory. She could judge him on the depth, volume or length of his croaking, any of which could indicate how strong he is.

Or she could just mate with the first male she finds.

That, rather anticlimactically, is exactly what happens. For all the effort that males put into attracting a partner, the only factor that seems to matter to the females is who’s nearest. And according to Ivonne Meuche from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, this strategy makes perfect sense for these frogs.

The strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) has become something of a celebrity among scientists studying frog behaviour. It’s easy to find because of its bright colours and tendency to hop about in the day. And it has lots of sex. On average, a female will only go for 4 to 5 days between partners…

(read more: Not Exactly Rocket Science - National Geo.)

(photos: T - Dendrotoine85: B - Geoff Gallice)

Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosus)

A rich, rolling “churee churee churee” rings out from the lush understory of the woods, then the songster itself flits up to a low branch and sounds out again. This golden and olive warbler with the black mustache spends much of its time on the ground in deep woods, where it nests, but the patient birder can often catch a glimpse of one, especially as males stake out their territories each spring.

The Kentucky Warbler’s characteristic loud song is heard less frequently today, and continued losses of bottomland hardwood forests across the southeastern United States may be the reason why. However, destruction of habitat on its wintering grounds through clearing for agriculture and pasture may pose an even greater threat…

(read more: American Bird Conservancy)

(photo: Greg Lavaty)

science-junkie:

Archaeologists Unearth New Information on Origins of Maya Civilization

The Maya civilization is well-known for its elaborate temples, sophisticated writing system, and mathematical and astronomical developments, yet the civilization’s origins remain something of a mystery.

A new University of Arizona study in the journal Science challenges the two prevailing theories on how the ancient civilization began, suggesting its origins are more complex than previously thought.

Anthropologists typically fall into one of two competing camps with regard to the origins of Maya civilization. The first camp believes that it developed almost entirely on its own in the jungles of what is now Guatemala and southern Mexico. The second believes that the Maya civilization developed as the result of direct influences from the older Olmec civilization and its center of La Venta…

Read more

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astronomy-to-zoology:

Mexican Burrowing Toad (Rhinophrynus dorsalis)

…is a unique species of burrowing toad found only in Mexico, parts of southern Texas and Central America. As its common name suggests the Mexican burrowing toad is fossorial and spends most of its time in underground burrows feeding on insects like ants and termites. Like the purple frog the burrowing toad often emerges from its den after long periods of rain and mates. Also like the unrelated purple frog when threatened or calling the Mexican burrowing toad can inflate its body.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Amphibia-Anura-Mesobatrachia-Rhinophrynidae-Rhinophrynus-dorsalis

Image Source(s)

animaltoday:

Gonatodes - (Gonatodes daudini)

Gonatodes is a genus of dwarf geckos that include many different species. Almost every species has a dramatic and unique color variation (in the males mostly). They mostly live in the forests of South America although some have adapted to live in cities and have been taken as pets.

They eat almost any bug that they can swallow.  Some species of Gonatodes are becoming critically endangered due to deforestation.

Most of the species have pointed noses and are rather narrow in body size.  However Gonatodes Daudini, shown here is the only one with large  scales, bright orange irises and the 3 eye shaped patterns displayed by the males. 

Photos: Strategy Forum INC on Flickr 

Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia)

ENDANGERED

If you’re lucky, you might spot the Golden-cheeked Warbler on its breeding grounds in central Texas at this time of year. The snazzy-looking adult male is particularly striking, with a golden-yellow eyebrow and cheek-patch, split by a black eye-stripe that joins its black nape and back.

The Golden-cheeked Warbler depends on the bark of the Ashe juniper for nesting material and tends to forage in deciduous oaks. Its ideal habitat consists of mixed juniper-oak woodlands.

Major threats are habitat fragmentation and degradation caused by ranches and housing developments, the effects of global climate change, lack of prescribed fire, which clears the forest understory to provide habitat, and removal of Ashe juniper trees. Habitat fragmentation compounds the impact of additional threats such as cowbird parasitism, overbrowsing by deer, and the spread of oak wilt fungus…

(read more: American Bird Conservancy)

* Help ABC conserve this and other birds and their habitats!