Herpetological Highlights
Herpetological Highlights
Herpetological Highlights
248 Eat Lead Lizards!
30 minutes Posted Oct 23, 2026 at 12:40 pm.
. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122531.
–226. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5849.2.5.
. DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02735-x.
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Show notes
Anoles aren't known for being tolerant, but when it comes to lead they seem to be able to tolerate monumental amounts that would spell disaster for a puny human. We delve into how they survive being so lead-laden, as well as where that lead has come from, and what this might mean for lizard-kind. Then we hit upon a newly described species of snake which is even more slender than most.
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Main Paper References:
Blanchette A, Su K-J, Frick AJ, Karubian J, Gunderson AR. 2025. Unprecedented lead tolerance in an urban lizard. Environmental Research
Species of the Bi-Week:
Chen H-L, Zhang L, Liu G-X, Liu Z-F, Kwok C-T, Vogel G, Wang J-Y, Wu Z-J, Chen Z-N. 2026. A new genus and species of Dipsadidae (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes) from Guangdong and Hunan Provinces in Southern China. Zootaxa
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Chen M, Gazze L, DiTraglia FJ, Das R, Nriagu J, Erel Y, Boyle EA, Taylor CM, Weiss D. 2025. Environmental lead risk in the 21st century. Communications Earth & Environment
Editing and Music:
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com