122 posts · 119,839 views
Darren Naish is a palaeozoologist who also works as a freelance author, editor and consultant. He works on dinosaurs and pterosaurs but is interested in all tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).
Tetrapod Zoology
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- August 25, 2011
- 06:50 PM
- 878 views
Those giant killer pigs from hell aren’t pigs
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
If you’ve been with Tet Zoo since the early days, you’ll have seen this image before – and, even if you haven’t seen it on Tet Zoo you might have seen it anyway, since everyone loves this model and it’s mentioned just about any time that entelodonts are. Yes, it’s an entelodont – a member [...]... Read more »
Joeckel, R. M. (1990) A functional interpretation of the masticatory system and paleoecology of entelodonts. Paleobiology, 459-482. info:/
- August 23, 2011
- 03:18 PM
- 548 views
Why putting your hand in a peccary’s mouth is a really bad idea
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
You’ll be familiar with peccaries, of course. They’re pig-shaped, shaggy-coated artiodactyls endemic to southern North America, Central America and South America. Fossils indicate that members of the group once occurred throughout the Old World too. Three extant species are conventionally recognised (Collared peccary Pecari tajacu, White-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari and Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri), but a [...]... Read more »
Herring, S. (1972) The role of canine morphology in the evolutionary divergence of pigs and peccaries. Journal of Mammalogy, 53(3), 500-512. DOI: 10.2307/1379040
- August 4, 2011
- 04:36 AM
- 485 views
In pursuit of Romanian frogs (part III: brown frogs)
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Time to look at more of the frogs I encountered in Romania. In the previous article I discussed Western Palaearctic water frogs (the species of Pelophylax). Here in Europe, water frogs live alongside another group of ranid frogs – the brown frogs, the only frogs unambiguously and unquestionably associated with the generic name Rana. Well, [...]... Read more »
Hartel, T., Nemes, S., Cogălniceanu, D., Öllerer, K., Moga, C. I., Lesbarrères, D., Demeter, L. (2009) Pond and landscape determinants of Rana dalmatina population sizes in a Romanian rural landscape. Acta Oecologica, 53-59. info:/
- June 27, 2011
- 09:00 AM
- 1,045 views
Hoopoes and woodhoopoes
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Yet more from that book project (see the owl article for the back-story, and the hornbill article for another of the book's sections).
Hornbills, hoopoes and woodhoopoes are all similar in appearance and have been classified together in a group termed Bucerotes. Vague similarities with other long-billed, forest-dwelling birds (like woodpeckers, long-billed cuckoos and such passerines as tree-creepers) meant that early ornithologists were often confused about the affinities of these birds. B........ Read more »
du Plessis, M. A. (1991) The role of helpers in feeding chicks in cooperatively breeding green (red-billed) woodhoopoes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 28(4). DOI: 10.1007/BF00175102
- June 24, 2011
- 09:10 AM
- 906 views
What does it feel like to get bitten by a ground hornbill, I hear you ask?
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Suppose you're interested in the anatomy and biology of ground hornbills. Now suppose that you get the chance to make physical contact with one of these awesome birds. Here, at least, is the opportunity to get bitten!! Surely you've always wanted to know what it feels like when a ground hornbill bites you. No? Ok, maybe it's just me. Anyway, the opportunity to get bitten by a ground hornbill presented itself to me a few weeks ago, so who was I to miss out? Read the rest of this post... | Read ........ Read more »
van der Meij, M., & Bout, R. G. (2004) Scaling of jaw muscle size and maximal bite force in finches. Journal of Experimental Biology, 207(16), 2745-2753. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01091
- June 22, 2011
- 09:10 AM
- 810 views
An introduction to hornbills
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
More from the bird book. For the back-story, see the previous owls article.
Hornbills are among the most distinctive and spectacular of Old World tropical birds. Often flaunting bright colours and sometimes reaching huge sizes (the largest species have wingspans of 1.8 m), they're well known for their enormous, curved bills and large bony crests. [Image above shows Great Indian hornbill skeleton Buceros bicornis (l) and male Wreathed hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus (r) (by Blijdorp, from wiki........ Read more »
Viseshakul N, Charoennitikul W, Kitamura S, Kemp A, Thong-Aree S, Surapunpitak Y, Poonswad P, & Ponglikitmongkol M. (2011) A phylogeny of frugivorous hornbills linked to the evolution of Indian plants within Asian rainforests. Journal of evolutionary biology, 24(7), 1533-1545. PMID: 21545425
- June 20, 2011
- 09:35 AM
- 947 views
When books die. And owls. I don't mean "when owls die"... I just mean: owls. As in: this article is mostly about owls.
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
There's something they don't tell you about freelance writing. It's about all the fails: the many, many projects that get pitched, worked on and made into proper presentations that then get sent to book fairs, interested companies and so on, but ultimately explode on the launch pad, or die a slow, lingering death. I don't know if it's that I'm especially unlucky, or if it's that I've pitched an unusually high number of books, or if it's that I've genuinely worked on a high number of projects tha........ Read more »
Norberg, R. (1977) Occurrence and Independent Evolution of Bilateral Ear Asymmetry in Owls and Implications on Owl Taxonomy. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(973), 375-408. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1977.0116
- June 19, 2011
- 07:22 AM
- 1,085 views
The bearded pigs
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
One of the most remarkable pigs has to be the Bornean bearded pig Sus barbatus, one of two currently recognised bearded pig species. The other is the much smaller, shorter-faced Palawan bearded pig S. ahoenobarbus of the Philippines: genetic work suggests that S. ahoenobarbus is not a close relative of S. barbatus, but actually closer to the Celebes warty pig S. celebensis and other Philippines pigs (Lucchini et al. 2005). S. barbatus occurs on Sumatra, Bangka, the Riau archipelago and the M........ Read more »
Lucchini, V., Meijaard, E., Diong, C. H., Groves, C. P., & Randi, E. 2005. New phylogenetic perspectives among species of South-east Asian wild pig (Sus sp.) based on mtDNA sequences and morphometric data. (2005) New phylogenetic perspectives among species of South-east Asian wild pig (Sus sp.) based on mtDNA sequences and morphometric data. Journal of Zoology, 25-35. info:/
- June 15, 2011
- 09:36 AM
- 875 views
Giant owls vs solenodons
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Here's something you don't see very often...
This illustration (by Peter Trusler) shows the large Pleistocene Cuban owl Ornimegalonyx oteroi battling with a solenodon. Ornimegalonyx has been mentioned here a few times before (use the search bar), but nothing substantive, sorry. Most sources mention O. oteroi as if it's the only named species of Ornimegalonyx. Actually, Arredondo (1982) named three additional ones: O. minor, O. gigas and O. acevedoi. And, by the way, the Ornimegalonyx owls w........ Read more »
Arredondo, O. (1976) The great predatory birds of the Pleistocene of Cuba. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 169-187. info:/
- June 13, 2011
- 07:07 AM
- 517 views
Lurdusaurus: stupidest looking iguanodontian, and... a pneumatic ornithischian at last?
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
One of the strangest Mesozoic dinosaurs ever described has to be the African iguanodontian Lurdusaurus arenatus, named in 1999 for remains from the Lower Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Gadoufaoua, Niger (Taquet & Russell 1999). The Elrhaz Formation has also yielded the sail-backed iguanodontian Ouranosaurus, the rebbachisaurid sauropod Nigersaurus, the theropods Kryptops, Suchomimus and Eocarcharia, and the crocodilians Anatosuchus and Sarcosuchus. [Adjacent Lurdusaurus image by Luis Rey, u........ Read more »
TAQUET, P., & RUSSELL, D. (1999) A massively-constructed iguanodont from Gadoufaoua, lower Cretaceous of Niger. Annales de Paléontologie, 85(1), 85-96. DOI: 10.1016/S0753-3969(99)80009-3
- June 10, 2011
- 10:05 AM
- 418 views
A cryptozoology meeting at the Zoological Society of London
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
On July 12th 2011 a very interesting thing is happening - interesting, that is, if you're interested in the academic evaluation of cryptozoological data. ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) is hosting the meeting 'Cryptozoology: science or pseudoscience?'. Speakers are Charles Paxton, Michael Woodley and myself. Henry Gee is acting as chair. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...... Read more »
Paxton, C. G. M. (2009) The plural of "anecdote" can be "data": statistical analysis of viewing distances in reports of unidentified giant marine animals 1758-2000. Journal of Zoology, 381-387. info:/
- June 9, 2011
- 12:28 PM
- 509 views
How gekkotans evolved into predatory 'snakes' (gekkotans part XII)
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
In the previous article I provided brief reviews of all currently recognised pygopodid 'genera'*. Except one. I've left this one until last, largely because it's the most spectacular (up to 75 cm in total length) and (arguably) most fascinating pygopodid. We've seen throughout this series of articles that pygopodids are convergent with certain snake groups, and may in fact have been so successful at filling up ecological niches occupied elsewhere by colubroid snakes that they effectively pre........ Read more »
Murray, B., Bradshaw, S., & Edward, D. (1991) Feeding Behavior and the Occurrence of Caudal Luring in Burton's Pygopodid Lialis burtonis (Sauria: Pygopodidae). Copeia, 1991(2), 509. DOI: 10.2307/1446599
- June 8, 2011
- 10:52 AM
- 1,042 views
Blindsnake mimics, scaly-foots and javelin lizards (gekkotans part XI)
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
I really want to get these pygopodid articles finished. Actually, I really want to get the whole gekkotan series finished: the end is in sight and I know I'll get there eventually. In the previous articles on pygopodids (part of the long-running series on gekkotan lizards: see links below), we looked at pygopodid diversity and biology in general, and also at the phylogeny and evolutionary history of these fascinating, snake-like gekkotans. This time round, we look in more detail at the various........ Read more »
Kluge, A. G. (1974) A taxonomic revision of the lizard family Pygopodidae. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1-221. info:/
- June 6, 2011
- 09:21 AM
- 910 views
The pygopodid radiation: diverse diets and the 'pygopodids got there first' hypothesis (gekkotans part X)
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
The previous article - part of my now lengthy series on gekkotan squamates (see links below) - provided an introduction to the neat and fascinating near-limbless Australasian gekkotans known as the pygopodids. Disclaimer: the group being discussed here is 'Pygopodidae of tradition', not Pygopodidae as currently formulated. More on this matter later.
One topic that I didn't explore fully in the previous article is pygopodid diversity. These reptiles aren't all samey little generalists; spec........ Read more »
Jennings WB, Pianka ER, & Donnellan S. (2003) Systematics of the lizard family pygopodidae with implications for the diversification of Australian temperate biotas. Systematic biology, 52(6), 757-80. PMID: 14668116
- June 3, 2011
- 08:12 AM
- 1,054 views
Meet the pygopodids (gekkotans part IX)
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
One of my shortish-term goals at Tet Zoo has been to complete the series on gekkotan lizards I started in April 2010 (see below for links to previous parts). We continue with that series here, and this time round we're going to look at what should definitely be regarded as the weirdest of gekkotans: the near-limbless pygopodids, pygopods or flap-footed lizards, all of which inhabit Australia and New Guinea (and at least some of the surrounding islands). Because there's a lot to say about them,........ Read more »
Kluge, A. G. (1974) A taxonomic revision of the lizard family Pygopodidae. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1-221. info:/
- May 29, 2011
- 09:30 AM
- 1,134 views
Cambodia: now with dibamids!
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Dibamids are a weird and very neat group of fossorial, near-limbless squamates that I've long planned to cover at Tet Zoo. Little is known about them and how they might relate to other squamates has long been the subject of debate (they might be close to amphisbaenians, but links with gekkotans, skinks and snakes have all been suggested in the past). I'm going to avoid saying much about them here: I just want to point to the fact that a newly named species - Dibamus dalaiensis Neang et al., ........ Read more »
Townsend TM, Leavitt DH, & Reeder TW. (2011) Intercontinental dispersal by a microendemic burrowing reptile (Dibamidae). Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. PMID: 21270029
- May 25, 2011
- 01:59 PM
- 970 views
A truly tiny Cretaceous theropod... from England?
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
Steve Sweetman and I have just published a paper on a new maniraptoran theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of East Sussex, England (Naish & Sweetman 2011).
As you might know if you're a regular reader, much of my technical work has been devoted to Wealden theropods and I publish papers on them fairly regularly (recent articles: Benson et al. (2009), Naish (2010); see links below). I still have yet to publish one of my most significant contributions - the monograp........ Read more »
Naish, D., & Sweetman, S. C. (2011) A tiny maniraptoran dinosaur in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Group: evidence from a new vertebrate-bearing locality in south-east England. Cretaceous Research, 464-471. info:/10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.001
- May 24, 2011
- 08:22 AM
- 1,179 views
Now I know where my sparrows go to sleep
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
I've long had a special interest in the sleeping habits of small birds. In fact, as you'll know if you read the article I published here back in September 2008*, I've covered this issue before. In that article, I noted that at least some passerines secrete themselves away in crevices or thick foliage. I first became really interested in this subject after making one of my greatest natural history 'discoveries': a sleeping Blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus that I encountered while it was tucked de........ Read more »
Merola-Zwartjes, M. (1998) Metabolic rate, temperature regulation, and the energetic implications of roost nests in the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). The Auk, 780-786. info:/
- May 19, 2011
- 11:25 AM
- 1,135 views
Birds-of-paradise: encountered in passing, on the street
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
I love seeing tetrapod-themed art, especially in unexpected places. While in London recently I noticed this 'tropical bird' painting on a piece of wooden boarding, erected to conceal building work. As you can see (larger version below), the work is mostly a brilliant montage of birds-of-paradise (properly Paradisaeidae), the remarkable resplendent "rainforest crows in fancy dress"* of New Guinea and its surrounds.
* Sherman Suter, 1998. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on thi........ Read more »
Barker FK, Cibois A, Schikler P, Feinstein J, & Cracraft J. (2004) Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(30), 11040-5. PMID: 15263073
- May 18, 2011
- 06:18 AM
- 981 views
Necks for sex? No thank you, we're sauropod dinosaurs
by Darren Naish in Tetrapod Zoology
If asked "Why do giraffes have such long necks?", the majority of people - professional biologists among them - will answer that it's something to do with increasing vertical reach and hence feeding range. But while the 'increased vertical reach' or 'increased feeding envelope' hypothesis has always been the most popular explanation invoked to explain the giraffe's neck, it isn't the only one.
In 1996, Robert Simmons and Lue Scheepers argued that the giraffe neck functions as a sexual sign........ Read more »
Taylor, M. P., Hone, D. W. E., Wedel, M. J., & Naish, D. (2011) The long necks of sauropods did not evolve primarily through sexual selection. Journal of Zoology. info:/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00824.x
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