Scientific Clues From Reptile Adaptations
Seeking Answers In The Rainforest

Rainforest Tales of Reptile Adaptations

By Rick Gregory

Malaysia is a tropical hotbed of biodiversity. Seeking answers to reptile adaptations, three intrepid students from America came here to and share their findings at a national symposium.

And each presented a simple biological tale that foreshadows greater questions for the country's environment.

Gecko lizards are tree huggers, rock climbers and grass swimmers. There is no ecological niche that excludes them, they are truly found everywhere. This means geckos are extremely adaptable animals. And it also means that these little lizards have a lot to teach us.

For Tim Youmans, one particular gecko from the Seribuat Archipelago caught his rapt attention. As the first Asian inter-tidal gecko it is one of the only known geckos in the world that lives in the tidal zone, a very harsh environment.

“Other animals live in tidal zones,” explains Youmans, from La Sierra University in California, “but they have physiological characters that rid their bodies of excess electrolytes found in seawater. So the next step is to find out if this gecko has similar characters.”

The Brown Kukri Snake is a taxonomic conundrum. This forest dweller is sometimes found coloured red, sometimes brown. But is it the same species or two distinct forms?

Perry Wood, formerly of La Sierra University, worked on the answer. Thought to be one species, Wood tried to separate the species based on colour pattern polymorphism or variation.

Understanding the taxonomy sets the basis for knowing the placement of the Kukri Snake in the ecosystem. If other colour forms represent different species, then not only does Malaysia gain in biodiversity, but it adds another piece to the puzzle of evolutionary ecology.

"The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them."

Vipers are snakes with large, triangular heads, a key feature that designates them as dangerous. They inject powerful venom into their prey with a pair of hollow fangs.

One group, known as pit viper snakes, have heat-sensing pits positioned between their nostrils and eyes that help locate prey. Most pit vipers prefer a “sit and wait lifestyle” but some are active foragers, a trait not common among them.

Jesse Grismer studies reptile adaptations by using natural history as a tool in species recognition.

On a primary level species are described by a set of defined or distinctive characters. However, “a species is not just unique characters,” says Grismer, a researcher formerly from Louisiana State University. “It is a unique lineage of life interacting with its environment in a unique way.”

Thus, its life history holds as many clues to its survival as its physical make-up.

Arboreal pit vipers are usually green, so it’s hard to distinguish them by look only.

“It’s possible that we are underestimating the diversity of pit vipers in Peninsular Malaysia,” clarifies Grismer.

“So we need to sort out which species are related and how a cryptically diverse group of snakes evolved in the forests and mountaintops of Malaysia.”

These seemingly straightforward biological and ecological stories about reptile adaptations are just at the beginning. So too are the scientific careers of these three young explorers from America.

Has coming to the rainforests of Malaysia gained them any scientific advantage in analyzing reptile adaptations?

“So many kids back home go to classes, read the books, hear the teachers talk … but we sit on top of islands and discuss what we’re doing,” says Youmans. “We tie in all our undergrad classes and get to look at the big picture instead of just taking separate subjects at school.”

For Grismer, Malaysia is untouched: “Cutting your teeth as a scientist here is wide open. It’s a great place to make your mark and make a name for yourself.”

And the best way to make your mark is by collaborating with local scientists. “For Malaysian scientists this is their backyard, they know the lay of the land really well,” says Grismer. “If you combine the work then it results in lots of good science.”

Good science is all about learning together, whether about reptile adaptations or rainforest habitats, the critical element is to share your experiences to spark new thoughts and new discoveries.

[Jesse Grismer and Perry Wood are currently tackling other biological questions as graduate students at Villanova University; while Tim Youmans teaches biology from a field perspective to students in California.]