Researchers in Colombia have scanned the skins of aquatic snakes to figure out how sensillae, tiny sensor-like structures, could help them find and attack prey.
Sensillae, which are characterized by a dome-like shape protrusions from the skin of freshwater gartersnakes, function as a sensory organ that detect direct pressure stimuli or vibrations.
Valeria Velasquez Cañon, a biologist and graduate of the University of Caldas in Colombia says that she and the co-authors of a a July 2024 paper in the international journal Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science studied these structures in the bodies of snakes from the species Helicops pastazae (a fish-eater found in rocky rivers) and Helicops danieli and Helicops angulatus (two species usually found in grassland floodplains, and have a more generalist diet, composed of fish, frogs and lizards).
“Among the most interesting results, we observed that these sensillae do not present a homogeneous distribution along the body, they are mainly concentrated on the lateral part of the neck,” she says, “Although the hunting behavior of these species has not yet been described, these results may give us clues to the possibility that they present ‘lateral strikes’ for predation.”
Velasquez says that the study shows that in the vertebral scales of Helicops, where this keel is much more pronounced, these structures are concentrated in a straight line along the “keel” (raised lines on the surface of scale) compared to the lateral scales that present a less pronounced keel.
“This finding raises new questions: could it be that the keel plays an important role in sensing the environment in these snakes?” she says.
Growing Up in Colombia
Velasquez is originally from the mountain city of Manizales in Colombia and says that she was a child, she’s have been an extremely curious person, which influenced her decision to study biology.
“During my career, I discovered in research a way to satisfy my curiosity; it was not only about asking myself questions, but also about having the tools to answer those questions,” he says, “In addition, since the first semesters of undergraduate I fell deeply in love with herps, especially reptiles, fascinated by their ecology, evolution, natural history and physiology, and it reason that over the years I have dedicated myself to explore and study these interesting animals, especially through scientific collections.”
Velasquez explains that in 2022, she was an intern at the Amphibian and Reptile Collections at Colombia’s Humboldt Institute and leveraged that access into an intern project intern.
“That is how I ended up leading and collaborating in this work together with other researchers from the Humboldt Institute and the Universidad de los Andes,” she says, “This work demonstrates that collections are repositories where we can not only find records of biodiversity and the discovery of new species, but also offer a wide range of opportunities to understand the natural history and sensory ecology of organisms,” she says.
Velasquez explains that she believes that it is essential to encourage scientists from the Global South to be actively involved in research and solutions to problems both nationally and globally.
“Although we often face limiting conditions (usually economic) that hinder the process of doing science, I firmly believe in the ability we have to solve problems, innovate and research using what we call “ciencia criolla, that is, homegrown science,” she says adding that during her project, writing science in a non-native language was a challenge, as was limited, paid access to sophisticated equipment, like electron microscopy.
“This is why it is essential to support and give a voice to all that knowledge and experience that not only provide unique perspectives or knowledge of different socio-cultural and environmental contexts, but also provide solutions that not only benefit the country, but also will inspire, enrich and contribute to the equity and sustainability of science worldwide,” she says.
Colombia’s Bright Lizards
Elsewhere in Colombia, Camilo Andrés Estupiñan, a biologist at Icesi University in Colombia and a researcher at the Interandinos Foundation and a group of passionate lizard scientists have published a guide to the dozens of species of Anolis: small, brightly-coloured tree lizards related to iguanas.
Colombia holds more than 75 species of Anolis which are and males have large throat fans called dewlaps, to attract females.
“Colombia has the greatest diversity of Anolis species in the world, and this book seeks to capture and share that richness,” he says, adding that this is a collaborative effort that came out of the Interandinos Foundation.
“The information available on these species is quite scattered, which represents a great challenge for us, but we have received incredible support from the scientific community, who have contributed significantly,” he says, “Maria, the illustrator of this book, has done an exceptional job, exceeding our expectations with illustrations that accurately capture the unique characteristics of each species.”
