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Species that inhabit marine and intertidal ecosystems face osmoregulatory challenges, risking dehydration and increased ion concentrations in the body. Lizards need to either tolerate or regulate these increased ion concentrations. In this study, we aim to understand how Suter's skink ( Oligosoma suteri ), an intertidal skink restricted to shoreline habitats, is able to cope with the physiological stress of living in an extreme salt environment. We determined the diet, prey species' salt content, and nasal and cloacal salt excretion on Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands in northern New Zealand, where the skinks have contrasting access to terrestrial invertebrates. Analysis of stable isotopes suggests inter- and intra-population variability in Suter's skink diets. Intertidal invertebrates under washed up seaweed appear to compose a major part of the diet of the Rangitoto population, while the Motutapu population showed evidence for a mixed diet of terrestrial and intertidal invertebrates. Sodium content of prey species decreased with an increasing distance from the seawater. Field secretion of cations through nasal glands consisted primarily of Na + , which is consistent with other marine and intertidal species. Sodium was also the primary cation in urine. In contrast, fecal cations consisted primarily of K + . This first study into the salt secretion of an intertidal skink species provides evidence of Suter's skink's plasticity in secreting excess ions through nasal salt glands. This likely enables it to deal with the challenges of living in a semi-marine habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of reptiles are both legally and illegally traded annually. However, the number of species being exploited for the live animal trade far exceeds any other demand, such as for use in the exotic leather trade. The huge diversity and abundance of reptiles traded globally is concerning as commercial consumer demand can result in unsustainable harvests which could lead to species declines or even extinctions. With this study we examine the trade between two of the significant countries involved in the global reptile trade: Indonesia and the United States (US). Between 2000 and 2015, the US imported at least 234 070 live reptiles encompassing 83 CITES-listed species and 810 534 live reptiles encompassing 118 non-CITES listed species from Indonesia. Besides the export of its native reptiles to the US, Indonesia also plays a role as re-exporter of live reptiles from other countries; specifically, those of the Asian region and Australia. Moreover, not only did we detect fraudulent trade, we also found potentially unsustainable trade levels for several species. This is concerning for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that reptiles are still very much an understudied group of animals, whereby biological information and the status of wild populations are lacking for many species, information that is crucial in assessing whether harvest for trade is sustainable or a threat to species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]