Emerald glass frog (Espadarana prosoblepon)
Welcome to Tales of Scales! A collection of short articles about reptiles and amphibians with the aim of increasing positive perceptions of these animals. Each tale describes a single species and an interesting aspect of its biology. They also include a quick fact section and a reference list for those interested in further reading, but are hopefully written in a way which is accessible to anyone. These animals may not be classically ‘cuddly’ like a panda or tiger (though for your health and/or physical appearance, cuddling is not recommended), but they are fundamental to ecosystem health. I think they are really cool and interesting and I hope you will too!
While I’m trying not to make this sound like I’m introducing myself at rehab, my name is Ollie Thomas and I’ve had a lifelong obsession with reptiles…
I graduated in 2017 with a Zoology degree and have since been working on and off in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) based field jobs. These have taken me to some pretty special places around the world, from South America to Asia, and allowed me to encounter and learn about some really interesting animals. I’m also quite a keen rock climber, which is pretty much the only other thing I get up to.
Thomas, O. (2019). Persian horned viper (Pseudocerastes persicus): a record at
unusually low elevation from the United Arab Emirates. Herpetological Bulletin. 147. 28-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33256/hb147.2829 Available here
Thomas, O. (2019). Aggregation behaviour in the common blunt-headed tree snake (Imantodes cenchoa). Captive and Field Herpetology. 3. 23-25. Available here
Thomas, O. Bird D. (2018). The Lower Vertebrates of Sani Reserve, Ecuador. Second edition. Spilsby, UK: Operation Wallacea. Available here
