Reptiles

The strongest El Niño in more than a century is already bringing far-flung species into Southern California, with more expected in the coming months. Studying these specimens will help NHM researchers better understand the impacts of the tremendous climate event.

Along with the first description of an extinct species of amphibian from Rancho La Brea, the paper also identifies the first record of the Mexican burrowing toad at the Tar Pits, 2,500 km north of its current distribution, shedding light on the impacts of climate change on species distributions past, present, and future.

Unearthed in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, Labrujasuchus expectatus—the ‘Witch Croc’—highlights the weirdness of life during the dawn of the dinosaurs and the legacy and ongoing discoveries at an iconic site 20 years into excavation

The environment and the durability of their bones are the drivers behind which reptiles—and which parts of reptiles—end up shaping museum collections and our understanding of the fossil record.

Discovery of Bolg amondol, a name inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe, reveals the complex evolutionary history of giant Gila Monster relatives