Jun 1

Jun 1 The Tropidurus Genus & Struggling with Taxonomy

Ah taxonomy…thou art a beautiful and heartless bitch. If you’ve ever looked into the tropidurus genus post 1979, you know what I’m talking about!

It’s not uncommon for friends and family to send or show me photographs of reptiles and amphibians they encounter during their holidays. They often ask me to identify the species, and usually, this can be done fairly easily – especially when you know exactly where the individual was found. However, some species can be very hard to differentiate by image and location alone.

Oct 11

Oct 11 Betty, Goat Pens and Greek Spice Girls

Talita Bateman

Journal, Travel

We decided to hike up the mountain to one of the oldest and most historically significant villages in Ikaria, Lagada. To avoid getting lost in this undeveloped part of the island, we figured that taking a dirt road would make the climb by foot easier. We were wrong.

Sep 30

Sep 30 Radioactive Springs, Lizard Crossing & Sunburnt Skin

Talita Bateman

Journal, Travel

Last time we were in Ikaria, we talked about visiting one of the many famous hot springs around the island but got too distracted by the beautiful walks to actually do it. This time, we made a point of finding one and having a relaxing bath. So, we set out to do some research on the geothermal springs available around the island. It was during this research that we discovered a very interesting fact about Ikaria's hot springs - they are amongst the most radioactive in the world.

Nov 13

Nov 13 The Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)

Talita Bateman

Herpetology, Travel, Wildlife Conservation

Like many other small gecko species, the Hemidactylus turcicus is one of those species that we tend to take for granted. The type that most people will see on the walls of the house they rented for their holidays but never really stop to think about.

Apr 2

Apr 2 The Common Lizard (Zootoca Vivapara)

Talita Bateman

Herpetology, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation

The Common Lizard (Zootoca (formerly Lacerta) Vivapara) is one of the most adaptable and widespread reptiles in Central and Northern Europe. In fact, unlike any other species, it can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle in Norway. With reptiles being almost exclusively ectothermic, seeing a lizard thrive in mostly cold climates is truly amazing.

Feb 9

Feb 9 The Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)

Talita Bateman

Herpetology

Few creatures are so unusual looking as the Australian Thorny Lizard. In fact, its appearance is so unusual that it received a demonised name twice - it is more commonly known as the Thorny Devil and has the scientific name Moloch horridus. Talk about a bad rep...

Hi, I’m Talita. I’m interested in evolutionary biology and occasionally write about it here.