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New technologies and new specimens have allowed paleontologists to gain insights into the behavior and ecology of dinosaurs. These discoveries range from parental care, migration, and hunting styles to communication, sociality, and combat. For example, studying the chemical isotopes in sauropod teeth has revealed evidence of annual migration patterns. However, it is important to be cautious when making assumptions based on new technologies, as they may not always lead to clear conclusions. Additionally, studying modern bird species can enhance our understanding of dinosaur behavior, but it is crucial to fully understand these modern species before making inferences. Overall, while there is still much to learn, new tools and technologies are providing valuable information about dinosaur behavior. [Extracted from the article]

Craig Foster's book, "Amphibious Soul: Finding the wild in a tame world," expands on the ideas presented in the documentary "My Octopus Teacher." Foster argues that humans have lost their connection to nature, which has negatively impacted their physical and mental health. He shares his personal experiences of finding solace in nature and emphasizes the restorative powers of cold water and wildlife encounters. While some may find flaws in Foster's beliefs and lack of deeper exploration of certain topics, his message about the importance of reconnecting with nature and preserving wildlife resonates. [Extracted from the article]

This means conservationists may be able to track the crocodiles using microphones, says Staniewicz. THE sounds some crocodiles make could help conservationists keep tabs on species that are otherwise hard to monitor. [Extracted from the article]

A CHUNKY, 1.5-metre- long predator living some 250 million years ago may alter our ideas about reptile evolution. This might warrant a rethink of how these ancient marine reptiles are classified, says Wolniewicz. [Extracted from the article]

The bonobo and chimp infants were crying at varying levels of distress in circumstances such as when distant from their mother. Nicolas Grimault at the University of Lyon in France and his team used the recorded cries of 24 hominid infants - including 12 humans (Homo sapiens), six captive bonobos (Pan paniscus) and six wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). [Extracted from the article]

A FULLY formed crocodile fetus has been found in an egg laid by a female that had no contact with males, showing that "virgin birth" is possible in these animals. Parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction in which embryos develop from unfertilised eggs, occurs in some snakes, lizards and even turkeys. The female fetus - which died at full-term - is a near genetic replica of its mother, a healthy adult kept in an isolated enclosure in a Costa Rican reptile park for 16 years (Biology Letters, doi.org/gsbq33). [Extracted from the article]

How do crocodiles maintain their explosive power despite being motionless for long periods, while if I am sedentary, my muscles weaken? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For instance, the crocodile monitor lizard (Varanus salvadorii) has bigger teeth relative to its skull size than T. rex. News THE scary teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex and other killer dinosaurs would have been hidden by lips, contrary to film and TV depictions. "I suspect they are right, and that tyrannosaurs had more soft tissue covering their teeth than crocodiles, but I'm still on the fence as to whether they had as much stuff covering their teeth as monitor lizards", says Steve Brusatte at the University of Edinburgh, UK. [Extracted from the article]

Now, Swee Ching Tan at the National University of Singapore and his colleagues have developed a less dense, flexible material resembling a crocodile's scales by fusing tough tiles of modified epoxy resin onto a polyester skin. It nearly beat stainless steel chain mail in resisting a razor cut, while a hypodermic needle stab test on someone's arm covered in the material left them unscathed. Materials A FLEXIBLE, protective fabric like crocodile skin can resist stabbing, cuts and abrasion. [Extracted from the article]

How do crocodiles maintain their explosive power despite being motionless for long periods, while if I am sedentary, my muscles weaken? Sarah Shuff, London, UK [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including one about orange crocodiles in the October 15, 2016 issue, one about the Laki fissure in Iceland in the January 23, 2016 issue, and one technological innovations in the November 19, 2016 issue.

MORE than a fifth of reptile species are at risk of extinction, according to the first global assessment. Bruce Young at NatureServe, an international biodiversity organisation, and his team collated data from around the globe to assess the extinction risk for 10,196 reptile species, such as the Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), pictured here. "This information is vital to designing effective conservation measures, [and] understanding where reptile species may benefit from existing efforts and where conservation attention is lacking", says Nisha Owen at conservation body On The Edge. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents the discussion on newly identified crocodile-like animal living in China 3000 years ago helping in making sense of the evolution of crocodiles and the relatives showing huge gap between the gharial and the rest of the crocodilian.

The article discusses a study by Martin Lockley and his colleagues at the University of Colorado Denver which found that the fossil prints near Sacheon City in South Korea which were first thought to belong to a pterosaur could actually have been made by a large bipedal ancestor of crocodiles about 110 to 120 million years ago.

The article mentions the discovery of dwarf crocodiles living in the Abanda caves in Gabon that were living off of bats and crickets in the caves and states that some of the crocodiles were orange in color as a result of urea in bat guano which makes the water basic and erodes away crocodile skin.

The article presents information related to a survey by researcher Mike Letnic regarding saltwater crocodiles. According to the survey, Australia's saltwater crocodiles travel up to 235 kilometers inland in freshwater streams. The number of large crocs moving upstream is found by the survey. Letnic said that in the early 1970s, salties were relentlessly hunted.

The article presents an interview with Grahame Webb, the director of Wildlife Management International in Darwin, Australia on view about crocodiles. He admires crocodiles greatly. He finds them to be tough and tenacious survivors. He has been attacked a few times but only bitten once in the field. He would dive into rivers and untangle lines and nets to ensure a trapped croc didn't drown. He would wade in swamps looking for their nests and even swim down croc channels in the swamps. When he started researching about saltwater crocodiles, one could fly all around the rivers in the Northern Territory and not see this animal.

The article focuses on the use of mitochondrial DNA sequencing of American species of crocodiles that reveals they are most closely related to the Nile crocodiles of east Africa and likely split away from them around 7 million years before 2011.

The article discusses a report in a 2010 issue of the "Proceedings of the Royal Society B" regarding research in which crocodiles were tagged by a team of scientists from the University of Queensland in St Lucia, Australia, and their dives tracked. Topics include the ecological impact of global warming on the ability of crocodiles to find food.

The article reports on the results of investigations on a mystery ailment that kills crocodiles at the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Staff at the park suspects that because of the hardening fat in the tails, the animals could no longer swim and so sank and drowned. The appearance of the tough fat has been associated in the past with a condition called pansteatitis, brought on by eating rotten or rancid fish.

The article reports that cane toads are responsible for the death of fresh water crocodiles in the Northern Territory of Australia. Mike Letnic of the University of Sydney has found that about 77 percent of crocodiles have died since the arrival of the toads. It is reported that cane toads, which are native to the U.S., were introduced to Queensland in 1935 to control sugar cane pests, and have been steadily marching across the country ever since.

The article reports on a study conducted by Tim Malström and Ronald Kröger at Lund University in Sweden, which focuses on multifocal lens. It reports that slit pupils are found in species ranging from the Nile crocodile to the domestic cat. They allow nocturnal animals to squint tightly in bright daylight to block out light that could harm their sensitive retinas. Multifocal lenses have multiple concentric focal zones, each of which focuses different wavelengths onto the retina. This means the eye can produce a sharply focused colour image even in low light conditions.

The article reports that crocodiles with gleaming gums, coral reefs, orchids, fish with glow-in-the-dark lures, ants that farm, new directions for evolution. All that from swapping food--for cleaning services, for transport, for sunscreen, for shelter, and of course for other food. Symbiosis has triggered seismic shifts in evolution, and evolution in turn continually spawns new symbiotic relationships. Eukaryotes use specialized organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts to extract energy from food or sunlight. Plovers pick leeches from crocodiles' teeth, offering dental hygiene in return for food. The ants cannot digest the leaves but the fungus that feeds on them produces a tasty meal of sugars and starch while breaking down the toxins in the leaves.

The first amphibians to crawl from water onto land may have been surprisingly sprightly, soaking up enough energy from the sun to dash around and catch prey, much as crocodiles do today. Amphibians evolved from lobe-finned fish about 370 million years ago. Researcher Robert Carroll of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, says his studies of fossil skeletons suggest the early amphibians were fairly efficient waddlers. Carroll also announced results of research that modeled the animals as amphibian-sized bags of water.

Reports on an angry crocodile's attack of an Australian park ranger attempting to harpoon it for lead pollution research. Crocodiles' accumulation of lead from eating birds and wild pigs killed by lead shots fired by hunters; Lead poisoning of aborigines eating lead exposed crocodiles; Crocodile osteoderms as determinant of environmental changes; Osteoderm samples from crocodiles; Tighter crocodile handling procedures.

Speculates on how dinosaurs maintained their high body temperature without using metabolic energy. Research on crocodiles by Gordon Grigg et al of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia published in the `Journal of Experimental Biology.'

Suggests that alligators and crocodiles may not have evolved from lizards or amphibians. How watching alligators running on a treadmill has helped biologists to debunk a theory about their ancestry; Details about the research of Stephen Reilly and his student Jason Elias at Ohio University.

Reports on the death of caymans in several sites in Brazil. Factors causing the death of caymans; Ecological implications.

Reports on the launching of a census for the `Crocodylus intermedius,' an endangered crocodile. Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela as crocodile's exclusive habitat; Research by the Roberto Franco Tropical Biology Research Station; Captive breeding as crocodile's best hope.

Describes how crocodiles hold their breaths for more than an hour underwater. Function of the small fragment of its haemoglobin; Details of the study by Kiyoshi Nagai at the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge to find out how haemoglobin helps it to hold breath.