Latest news with #reptile
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
In custody: Webster PD says 5-foot water monitor has been captured
After two weeks on the run, the elusive water monitor Goose is in custody. About 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2, Webster police posted on social media: "Goose has been captured! More to follow." The 5-foot reptile, the pet of a Webster resident, was reported missing July 18, a day after he was last seen by his owner. The initial search came up empty, although the disappearance became the talk of the town and the subject of social media humor. There have been countless doctored photos of Goose at local restaurants and landmarks. A T-shirt with the words "Goose is on the loose" is a popular item. The Webster animal control officer has said locating Goose would be difficult, with it likely in a tree or body of water. It was unlikely to survive the winter. There was a sighting in Thompson, Connecticut, and, on Wednesday, July 30, in Douglas. A resident took a photograph of the lizard, which was confirmed to be Goose by the Massachusetts Environmental Police. The two-week search for Goose was aided by workers from Rainforest Reptile Shows, a rescue and education organization based in Beverly. In a social media post Saturday evening, the organization said Goose would be staying at its sanctuary. "Goose will now begin a new chapter at RRS Oasis, our nonprofit animal sanctuary, where he will receive expert care and a specially designed permanent habitat," Rainforest Reptile wrote. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: In custody: Webster PD says 5-foot water monitor has been captured Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
01-08-2025
- General
- CBS News
Escaped 5-foot-long water monitor lizard spotted again wandering in Massachusetts
There's been a new sighting of the water monitor lizard that's been wandering around parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The five-foot-long lizard named Goose crawled out of a second-floor window of a home in Webster, Massachusetts back on Friday, July 18. Goose was being kept as a pet, but someone in the house left a window open and the lizard escaped. The first reported sighting was a week later on July 25 in Thompson, Connecticut, about five miles south of Webster. Goose's latest appearance was on Wednesday, July 30 in Douglas, Massachusetts, according to Massachusetts Environmental Police. "Officers responded to the area immediately, but unfortunately, the reptile was not located. We are working closely with reptile experts, Rain Forest Reptiles, to help us locate and capture the animal," the agency said in a social media post. They also issued a new photo of the lizard. Douglas is about 13 miles north of Thompson. It's eight miles east of Webster. Webster police said the owner got the lizard in New Hampshire earlier this summer, but Environmental Police said it's illegal to have this type of reptile in Massachusetts unless you have a permit. The owner did not, authorities said. According to experts, water monitor lizards love to travel and climb trees, and they are not dangerous to humans. But, if you see one, don't try to capture it. Report it to Massachusetts Environmental Police at 800-632-8075 or Webster police at (508) 943-1212 extension 1240. "We appreciate the public's continued cooperation and ask that you help us spread awareness - not panic. Our goal is to safely recover the animal and ensure compliance with state wildlife laws," Environmental Police said in a statement.
CBS News
27-07-2025
- CBS News
Escaped Massachusetts 5-foot-long water monitor lizard spotted in Connecticut
Officials say the water monitor lizard that escaped from a Webster, Massachusetts home earlier this month was spotted over the weekend in Connecticut. Police in Webster said Goose, a 5-foot-long lizard, leapt out of a second-floor window on July 18. The lizard was being kept as a pet, and someone who was house sitting opened the window, allowing it to escape. Massachusetts Environmental Police said it's illegal to have this type of reptile in the state unless you have a permit, which police say this homeowner did not. On Friday, the Town of Thompson, Connecticut alerted residents that Goose was spotted in the Little Pond area of Wilsonville Road and Thompsonville Road. Webster police confirmed that someone claimed to have seen the lizard under a car, but by the time they arrived to the scene it was gone. "This animal is owned illegally, and it is important to call animal control as soon as there is a spotting so we can capture it. We do have a reptile specialist we are working with," Thompson Animal Control wrote on social media. "If you spot this reptile, please immediately contact animal control or the police department." Experts told WBZ-TV that water monitors love to travel. They also enjoy climbing up trees, and mostly love bodies of water. This species of lizard is not generally seen as a threat to humans or dogs and cats. Still, anyone who encounters Goose is asked not to attempt to corral the lizard on their own and should instead contact authorities. When Goose first escaped, police in Webster said it was a case unlike any they've dealt with in the past. "This is a first in my 29 years in law enforcement," Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said. "Just when we thought we had seen it all, we came across a missing water monitor."
BBC News
27-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Blackpool hotel reptile market plan in animal rights row
A row has broken out over plans to host a reptile market at a Blackpool hotel this event at the Norbreck Castle will see people "buy and sell their surplus animals and offspring", according to the International Herpetological Society (IHS). But some animal charities have condemned the market as a "gross violation" of reptile welfare and have urged Britannia Hotels to cancel it. Blackpool Council said its officers would be at the event to make sure it complied with standards, while the IHS said its markets were "fully compliant with UK law". The IHS, which was founded in 1969, said it was "committed to the ongoing research and propagation of all reptile, amphibian and chelonian species".It added "animal care is paramount" at its events and creatures were "transported and displayed in temporary containers for the animals' safety during the event only".The soceity added that two veterinary professionals were "always present and any concerns are taken extremely seriously".Plans for a similar market in Doncaster in 2022 were halted by the town's council after complaints from some animal charities. Event controversy Elaine Toland, director of the Animal Protection Agency, said it "strongly urges Britannia Hotels to cancel this event and refuse to be complicit".Laura Walton, campaigns manager at Freedom for Animals, added it "sincerely hoped" the hotel chose not to let the event go ahead. Charlotte Regan, wildlife campaigns manager at World Animal Protection, said the animals were "not products to be bought and sold at makeshift stalls"."These kinds of events are outdated and have no place in modern society."The IHS said it found it "deeply upsetting to be constantly under fire" and none of its previous events had been "cancelled, refused or changed venues due to welfare issues or legal contravention by the IHS".It said the events had instead been called off because of "adverse publicity".Britannia Hotels has been approached for comment. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Neither Scales Nor Feathers: Bizarre Appendage Discovered on Reptile Fossil
A bizarre reptile once scurried through the Triassic treetops with an extravagant crest on its back, one made from neither scale, nor bone, nor feather. The extinct creature's 247-million-year-old fossils immediately stood out to paleontologists. The impressive appendage on its back looks like a frill of overlapping feathers at first glance, but it's much older than the earliest fossilized feather, and there's no branching to indicate a plume. The elaborate structure also lacks bony spines, such as those seen in later dinosaurs, like Spinosaurus. Related: "This had to be something new," Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History paleontologist Stephan Spiekman told ScienceAlert. "Prior to our discovery, complex outgrowths from the skin were restricted to mammals and birds and their closest relatives, predominantly in the form of feathers and hair. "We now have another, different type of complex appendage, in a very early reptile." Long before dinosaurs evolved plumage, it appears that some early reptiles were already putting together a genetic toolkit for complex appendages. The dorsal crests discovered by Spiekman and his colleagues are "basically novel to science", so they don't yet have a name. In their study, the researchers essentially refer to them as skin outgrowths, but they aren't actually similar to reptile skin. Spiekman thinks the outgrowths may be made of keratin, similar to nails, hairs, scales, or claws. Confirming that suspicion will require further analysis. Altogether, Spiekman and his colleagues studied more than 80 fossils of the outgrowths, recently donated to the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany. The vast majority had lost their corresponding skeletons; only one of the fossils featured the bird-like skull of a small, ancient reptile. The extinct animal has been named Mirasaura grauvogeli, the first part of which means 'wonderous reptile'. Technically, the species is a drepanosaur – a small, early reptile that lived in the trees, hunting insects with its velociraptor-like claws. But its crest is the real stand-out feature. "Mirasaura developed an alternative to feathers very early in Earth's history, long before the dinosaurs, which we did not expect and which will stimulate discussion and research," says reptile paleontologist Rainer Schoch, from the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart. The exact function of the Mirasaura's dorsal appendage is unknown, but based on the physics, it probably wasn't used for flight or insulation. A role in visual communication, such as predator deterrence or intraspecies signaling, is more likely. The best preserved Mirasaura fossils were found to contain traces of melanosomes, which are organelles within pigment cells. Interestingly, their geometry is consistent with the melanosomes that color feathers, but not those found in reptile skin or mammal hair. "Mirasaura really shows how surprising evolution can be, and how much we can still learn from palaeontology," Spiekman told ScienceAlert. "We already knew from genetics and developmental biology that much of the pathway to form feathers, hairs, and scales, is shared between mammals, reptiles, and birds. Now, with Mirasaura, we can say that such complex structures did indeed grow in other animals, too." Turns out, reptiles aren't the scaly, simple animals we often paint them out to be. They deserve more credit. The study was published in Nature. Related News America's Largest Crater Has Surprise Link to Grand Canyon, Study Finds 500-Million-Year-Old Fossil Suggests Ocean Origin For Spiders Secret Bone Armor Discovered Beneath Skins of Australian Lizards Solve the daily Crossword
