Crocodilians are apex amphibious predators that occupy a range of tropical habitats. In this study, we examined whether their semi-aquatic lifestyle and ambush hunting mode are reflected in specific adaptations in the peripheral visual system. Design-based stereology and microspectrophotometry were used to assess spatial resolving power and spectral sensitivity of saltwater (Crocodylus porosus)...

6-Bromohypaphorine (6-BHP) has been isolated from the marine sponges Pachymatisma johnstoni, Aplysina sp., and the tunicate Aplidium conicum, but data on its biological activity were not available. For the nudibranch mollusk Hermissenda crassicornis no endogenous compounds were known, and here we describe the isolation of 6-BHP from this mollusk and its effects on different nicotinic acetylchol...

As the anatomy of the digestive tract of the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) has not been described in relation to the ruminant feeding type classification to date, we here report anatomical measurements on a complete digestive tract of an okapi euthanised in captivity and measurements of its ingesta particle size and forestomach protozoa species, supplemented with other information on two okapi fores...

Habitat fragmentation is a severe threat to tropical biotas, but its long-term effects are poorly understood. We evaluated longer-term changes in the abundance of larger (>1 kg) mammals in fragmented and intact rainforest and in riparian "corridors" in tropical Queensland, with data from 190 spotlighting surveys conducted in 1986-1987 and 2006-2007. In 1986-1987 when most fragments were already...

The comparative vertebral morphology of different chamaeleonid genera has been generally neglected and some aspects such as the comparative anatomy of the neck region remain poorly known. The atlas and axis of all chamaeleonid genera (Brookesia, Rieppeleon, Archaius, Rhampholeon, Nadzikambia, Bradypodion, Chamaeleo, Calumma, Furcifer, Kinyongia, and Trioceros) are studied here. Considerable mor...

Many ectotherms bask in the sun as a behavioural mechanism to increase body temperature and facilitate metabolism, digestion or gamete production, among other functions. Such behaviours are common during day, but some nocturnal species also known thermoregulate at night, absence of solar radiation, through shifts posture microhabitat selection. Additionally, recent work has documented basking f...