[en] Given sufficient space, it is possible for gliding animals to reach an equilibrium state with no net forces acting on the body. In contrast, every gliding trajectory must begin with a non-steady component, and the relative importance of this phase is not well understood. Of any terrestrial animal glider, snakes exhibit the greatest active movements, which may affect their trajectory dynamics. Our primary aim was to determine the characteristics of snake gliding during the transition to equilibrium, quantifying changes in velocity, acceleration, and body orientation in the late phase of a glide sequence. We launched 'flying' snakes (Chrysopelea paradisi) from a 15 m tower and recorded the mid-to-end portion of trajectories with four videocameras to reconstruct the snake's body position with mm to cm accuracy. Additionally, we developed a simple analytical model of gliding assuming only steady-state forces of lift, drag and weight acting on the body and used it to explore effects of wing loading, lift-to-drag ratio, and initial velocity on trajectory dynamics. Despite the vertical space provided to transition to steady-state gliding, snakes did not exhibit equilibrium gliding and in fact displayed a net positive acceleration in the vertical axis, an effect also predicted by the analytical model.

[en] Headstarting is a recovery strategy for sea turtle populations. It requires captive handling of hatchlings, which are transferred from nesting beaches with low percentages of hatching success. Providing adequate nutritional resources for hatchlings is costly but important, as it influences growth rates of young turtles. Assessing the potential of commercial diets as option for promoting healthy growth and reducing the costs of maintenance for captive Hawksbill Turtles, we evaluated the viability of two commercial feeds on the growth rates of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). We fed turtles to satiation twice a day between the sixth and tenth month of age. Individuals fed with fish flour meal (n=20) exhibited average body mass and straight carapace length (SCL) growth rates of 2.45±1.39 g.day-1 and 0.04 ± 0.02 cm.day-1, respectively. The turtles fed with squid flour meal (n =13) displayed growth rates of 3.35 ± 1.11 g.day-1 and 0.04 ± 0.01 cm.day-1. These differences, associated with the low avidity of the specimens for these pellets, may be due to the food characteristics, particularly the size, flotation capability and palatability of the food. However, the presence of amino acids and vitamins in these compounds, and their low cost, can make them viable as a supplementary item suggesting the use of commercial foods only as a dietary supplement.

[en] Many animals move within ground composed of granular media (GM); the resistive properties of such substrates can depend on water content and compaction, but little is known about how such parameters affect locomotion or the physics of drag and penetration. Using apparatus to control compaction of GM, our recent studies of movement in dry GM have revealed locomotion strategies of specialized dry-sand-swimming reptiles. However, these animals represent a small fraction of the diversity and presumed burial strategies of fossorial reptilian fauna. Here we develop a system to create states of wet GM of varying moisture content and compaction in quantities sufficient to study the burial and subsurface locomotion of the Ocellated skink (C. ocellatus), a generalist lizard. X-ray imaging revealed that in wet and dry GM the lizard slowly buried ($\approx <!--\; ???\; -->30$ s) propagating a wave from head to tail, while moving in a start-stop motion. During forward movement, the head oscillated, and the forelimb on the convex side of the body propelled the animal. Although body kinematics and ‘slip’ were similar in both substrates, the burial depth was smaller in wet GM. Penetration and drag force experiments on smooth cylinders revealed that wet GM was $\approx <!--\; ???\; -->4\times <!--\; ??\; -->$ more resistive than dry GM. In total, our measurements indicate that while the rheology of the dry and wet GM differ substantially, the lizard's burial motor pattern is conserved across substrates, while its burial depth is largely constrained by environmental resistance. (paper)

[en] Laser texturing is one of the leading technologies applied to modify surface topography. To date, however, a standardized procedure to generate deterministic textures is virtually non-existent. In nature, especially in squamata, there are many examples of deterministic structured textures that allow species to control friction and condition their tribological response for efficient function. In this work, we draw a comparison between industrial surfaces and reptilian surfaces. We chose the Python regius species as a bio-analogue with a deterministic surface. We first study the structural make up of the ventral scales of the snake (both construction and metrology). We further compare the metrological features of the ventral scales to experimentally recommended performance indicators of industrial surfaces extracted from open literature. The results indicate the feasibility of engineering a laser textured surface based on the reptilian ornamentation constructs. It is shown that the metrological features, key to efficient function of a rubbing deterministic surface, are already optimized in the reptile. We further show that optimization in reptilian surfaces is based on synchronizing surface form, textures and aspects to condition the frictional response. Mimicking reptilian surfaces, we argue, may form a design methodology potentially capable of generating advanced deterministic surface constructs capable of efficient tribological function. (paper)

[en] Seven hundred fifty-nine transects having a total length of 1,191 km were walked during 1981--1986 to determine the distribution and relative abundance of desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The abundance of tortoises on NTS was low to very low relative to other populations in the Mojave Desert. Sign of tortoises was found from 880 to 1,570 m elevation and was more abundant above 1,200 m than has been reported previously for Nevada. Tortoises were more abundant on NTS on the upper alluvial fans and slopes of mountains than in valley bottoms. They also were more common on or near limestone and dolomite mountains than on mountains of volcanic origin

[en] Flying snakes use their entire body as a continuously morphing ‘wing’ to produce lift and shallow their glide trajectory. Their dominant behavior during gliding is aerial undulation, in which lateral waves are sent posteriorly down the body. This highly dynamic behavior, which is unique among animal gliders, should have substantial effects on the flight dynamics and stability of the snakes, resulting from the continuous redistribution of mass and aerodynamic forces. In this study, we develop two-dimensional theoretical models to assess the stability characteristics of snakes in the pitch direction. Previously measured force coefficients are used to simulate aerodynamic forces acting on the models, and undulation is simulated by varying mass. Model 1 is a simple three-airfoil representation of the snake’s body that possesses a passively stable equilibrium solution, whose basin of stability contains initial conditions observed in experimental gliding trajectories. Model 2 is more sophisticated, with more degrees of freedom allowing for postural changes to better represent the snake’s real kinematics; in addition, a restoring moment is added to simulate potential active control. The application of static and dynamic stability criteria show that Model 2 is passively unstable, but can be stabilized with a restoring moment. Overall, these models suggest that undulation does not contribute to stability in pitch, and that flying snakes require a closed-loop control system formed around a passively stable dynamical framework. (papers)

[en] Here a prototype biomimetic robot is presented that imitates the shape and motion of a frilled lizard. The robot’s upper body posture can be controlled using the air resistance generated by the frill around the neck during running. Several experiments were conducted to determine the range of motion of the robot. A fan experiment showed that the robot could adjust the angle of the upper body at intervals of at least 5° to 10° up to 35°. The robot was able to control the angle of its upper body to an accuracy of about 1° while running. Thus, the robot controlled its upper body angle using the membrane around its neck. This is the first robot to use air to control the upper body posture

No abstract available

[en] Habitat loss and environmental pollution are among the main causes responsible for worldwide biodiversity loss. The resulting species and population declines affect all vertebrates including reptiles. Especially in industrialized countries, pollution by agrochemicals is of remarkable importance. Here, habitat loss has historically been associated with expansion of agriculture. Species persisting in such environments do not only need to cope with habitat loss, but more recently, also with chemical intensification, namely pesticide exposure. In this study, we examined effects of different fungicide and herbicide applications on the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in grape-growing areas. We used three enzymatic biomarkers (GST, GR, AChE) and for the first time saliva from buccal swabs as a minimal-invasive sampling method for detection. Our results demonstrate absorption of substances by lizards and effects of pesticide exposure on enzymatic activities. Our findings are in accordance with those of previous laboratory studies, although samples were retrieved from natural habitats. We conclude that buccal swabs could become a useful tool for the detection of pesticide exposure in reptiles and have the potential to replace more invasive methods, such as organ extraction or cardiac puncture. This is an important finding, as reptiles are non-target organisms of pesticide applications, and there is a strong need to integrate them into pesticide risk assessments. - Highlights: • Buccal swabs could become a reliable method to detect pesticide exposure in reptiles. • Biomarker data from wild lizards matches results obtained in laboratory studies. • Fungicide formulations induced oxidative stress in exposed individuals. • Reptiles suffer from pesticide uptake, and need to be integrated in risk assessments. - Examined pesticides caused oxidative stress in exposed individuals from the wild. Buccal swabs could become a reliable tool to detect pesticide exposure in reptiles.

[en] Hyper-redundant mechanisms (HRMs), also known as snake-like robots, are highly adaptable during locomotion on land. Researchers are currently working to extend their capabilities to aquatic environments through biomimetic undulatory propulsion. In addition to increasing the versatility of the system, truly biomimetic swimming could also provide excellent locomotion efficiency. Unfortunately, the complexity of the system precludes the development of a functional solution to achieve this. To explore this problem, a rapid optimization process is used to generate efficient HRM swimming gaits. The low computational cost of the approach allows for multiple optimizations over a broad range of system conditions. By observing how these conditions affect optimal kinematics, a number of new insights are developed regarding undulatory swimming in robotic systems. Two key conditions are varied within the study, swimming speed and energy recovery. It is found that the swimmer mimics the speed control behaviour of natural fish and that energy recovery drastically increases the system's efficiency. Remarkably, this efficiency increase is accompanied by a distinct change in swimming kinematics. With energy recovery, the swimmer converges to a clearly anguilliform gait, without, it tends towards the carangiform mode. (paper)