Search results for "Reptiles"

New insights into the gut microbiome in loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta stranded on the Mediterranean coast

2019

Caretta caretta is the most common sea turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea. The species is threatened by anthropomorphic activity that causes thousands of deaths and hundreds of strandings along the Mediterranean coast. Stranded turtles are often cared for in rehabilitation centres until they recover or die. The objective of this study was to characterize the gut microbiome of nine sea turtles stranded along the Sicilian coast of the Mediterranean Sea using high-throughput sequencing analysis targeting V3–V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Stool samples were collected from eight specimens hosted in the recovery centre after a few days of hospitalization (under 7) and from one ho…

Eggshell types and their evolutionary correlation with life-history strategies in squamates

2015

The eggshell is an important physiological structure for the embryo. It enables gas exchange, physical protection and is a calcium reserve. Most squamates (lizards, snakes, worm lizards) lay parchment-shelled eggs, whereas only some gekkotan species, a subgroup of lizards, have strongly calcified eggshells. In viviparous (live-bearing) squamates the eggshell is reduced or completely missing (hereafter “shell-less”). Recent studies showed that life-history strategies of gekkotan species differ between species with parchment- and rigid-shelled eggshells. Here we test if the three different eggshell types found in the squamates are also associated with different life-history strategies. We fir…

The evolutionary course of vertebrate foot, from fish to man

2009

Feeding habits of the Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus during the breeding period in Central Italy

2022

Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus is the only snake eagle that nests in the Palearctic. Its diet has been studied in several European countries and it is essentially based on reptiles. The aims of this work were to characterise the feeding habits of Short-toed Eagle breeding in the Tolfa Mountains (Central Italy) including a comparison of the diet with that of other populations. Moreover, we assessed changes in the diet of the former population using published data collected more than 35 years ago. We monitored five nests and three roosts between 2020 and 2021. Using camera traps and the collection and analysis of feeding remains, a total of 247 prey items were identified. The diet of the…

Les reptiles et synapsides fossiles de Bourgogne.

2012

65 pages; National audience; L'inventaire actuel des Amniotes (Synapsida et Reptiles) fossiles à partir des collections bourguignonnes est présenté dans l'ordre stratigraphique. Il montre que les Synapsida (Reptiles Mammaliens) sont représentés au Carbonifère et au Permien inférieur par quelques squelettes. Dans le reste du Permien (moyen ou moyen à supérieur) ) puis au Trias, c'est la palichnofaune qui prend le relai avec quelques empreintes de pas permiennes attribuées à des Capthorinomorpha et avec celles beaucoup plus nombreuses du Trias laissées par une faune très variée. Celle-ci comportait le groupe souche des Crurotarsi d'où sont issus les Crocodylomorpha et les Dinosauria via les D…

Neurogenesis and Neuronal Regeneration in the Adult Reptilian Brain

2002

Evidence accumulated over the last few decades demonstrates that all reptiles examined thus far continue to add neurons at a high rate and in many regions of the adult brain. This so-called adult neurogenesis has been described in the olfactory bulbs, rostral forebrain, all cortical areas, anterior dorsal ventricular ridge, septum, striatum, nucleus sphericus, and cerebellum. The rate of neuronal production varies greatly among these brain areas. Moreover, striking differences in the rate and distribution of adult neurogenesis have been noted among species. In addition to producing new neurons in the adult brain, lizards, and possibly other reptiles as well, are capable of regenerating larg…

The proliferative ventricular zone in adult vertebrates: a comparative study using reptiles, birds, and mammals

2002

Although evidence accumulated during the last decades has advanced our understanding of adult neurogenesis in the vertebrate brain, many aspects of this intriguing phenomenon remain controversial. Here we review the organization and cellular composition of the ventricular wall of reptiles, birds, and mammals in an effort to identify differences and commonalities among these vertebrate classes. Three major cell types have been identified in the ventricular zone of reptiles and birds: migrating (Type A) cells, radial glial (Type B) cells, and ependymal (Type E) cells. Cells similar anatomically and functionally to Types A, B, and E have also been described in the ventricular wall of mammals, …

Two interconnected functional systems in the amygdala of amniote vertebrates.

2008

The amygdala shows ventropallial and lateropallial derivatives that can be compared among vertebrates according to their topological position, either superficial (cortical amygdala) or deep (basolateral amygdala and amygdalo-hippocampal area), connections and histochemical features. On the other hand, the subpallial amygdala, also called extended amygdala, is composed of medial and central divisions. In mammals, both divisions consist of an intra-amygdaloid portion and a part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. In non-mammals, the intratelencephalic trajectory of the stria terminalis is short and both poles of the extended amygdala are close together. Like its mammalian counterpart,…

The pallial amygdala of amniote vertebrates: evolution of the concept, evolution of the structure

2002

Embryological studies indicate that the amygdala includes pallial structures, namely the cortical amygdala (olfactory and vomeronasal) and the basolateral complex deep to it. In squamate reptiles, the cortical amygdala includes secondary olfactory (the ventral anterior amygdala) and vomeronasal centres (the nucleus sphericus). In birds, the situation is far less clear, due to the relative underdevelopment of the chemosensory systems. The basolateral amygdala of squamate reptiles includes two ventropallial structures: the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge and the lateral amygdala. Like their mammalian counterparts, these centres give rise to glutamatergic projections to the striatal (centro…

The marine diapsid reptile Endennasaurus from the Upper Triassic of Italy

2005

The marine reptile Endennasaurus from the Upper Triassic Zorzino Limestone of northern Italy is rede- scribed and reassessed. New details of the skull and postcra- nial skeleton are revealed, confirming the attribution of this genus to the diapsid reptile clade Thalattosauriformes. Phylo- genetic analysis suggests that Endennasaurus was related to the European genus Askeptosaurus and the Chinese Anshun- saurus. Despite a rather conservative postcranial morphology, Endennasaurus clearly occupied a highly specialized dietary niche as it combined a slender tapering premaxillary rostrum with a complete absence of either marginal or palatal teeth.