Worm lizards are strange legless animals that live underground. Turns out they communicate by smell and are able to pass on surprisingly complex messages. There's also a brand new species of these subterranean lizards.
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Main Paper Reference:
Martín J, Navarro-Castilla Á, De La Concha A, Cuervo JJ, Barja I, López P. 2024. Heat-altered scent marks of males of a fossorial reptile still allow recognition by females but lose information on male quality. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 78:77. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-024-03496-x.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Ribeiro S, Santos Jr AP, Martins IG, Oliveira ECS, Graboski R, Barbosa Da Silveira T, Benício MHM, Vaz-Silva W. 2024. A new four-pored Amphisbaena Linnaeus, 1758 (Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae) from the north of Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil. ZooKeys 1213:1–27. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1213.122265.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Martín, J., Rodríguez-Ruiz, G., Navarro-Castilla, Á., Barja, I., & López, P. (2024). Blind date: female fossorial amphisbaenians prefer scent marks of large and healthy males. Integrative Zoology.
Editing and Music:
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Intro visuals – Paul Snelling
