Reptiles, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 4, 2013

Once 'Extinct' Pinocchio Lizard Pokes His Nose Out

This ain't no lie: The Pinocchio lizard was thought to be extinct for 50 years, but has been rediscovered in the cloud forests of Ecuador. After searching for the long-nosed animal for three years, a team of photographers and researchers found the lizard recently in a stretch of pristine cloud...

Oct 22, 2013

Australian Lizards Thrive When Humans Hunt Them

Updated on Oct. 24 at 9:55 a.m. ET. Hunters are often thought of as bad for wildlife, but scientists have recently found that Aboriginal hunters in Australia actually boosted certain lizard populations by improving the locales where the reptiles live. Scientists investigated the Western Desert of Australia, where many native...

Nov 5, 2013

Feeling Blue: Gender-Bending Lady Lizards Miss Out on Love

For female fence lizards, it's just not easy being blue. For one, the guys all ignore you. Brilliant blue markings on the neck and underbelly are male traits in fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), but in some populations, as many as 95 percent of females boast similar, though fainter, markings. New...

Dec 4, 2013

Odd-Looking Lizards More Diverse Than Thought

This odd-looking lizard is a collared treerunner, and a new study finds there's more than one species of these multi-colored reptiles. Scientists previously thought a group of collared treerunner lizards, known as Plica plica, were a single species. The lizards were first described in 1758 and live on vertical surfaces....

Dec 10, 2013

In Images: Colorful Chameleons Change Colors During Combat

Veiled chameleons (Image credit: © Megan Best)Veiled chameleons are one of many chameleon species capable of changing colors. But, contrary to the common perception of these animals, their ability to change colors helps more with social interactions than with camouflage. Vibrant colors (Image credit: © Megan Best)In the blink of...

Dec 10, 2013

Trippy! Chameleons Intimidate Rivals with Quick Color Change

Color-morphing may sound less intimidating than, say, baring teeth or dragging hooves, but male chameleons rely on such psychedelic intimidation to ward off male rivals, according to a new study. Chameleons are popularly thought to use their color-changing abilities to blend into their environments, but, in recent years, researchers have...

Jan 24, 2014

Exotic Animal Trader Arrested After Smuggling Komodo Dragons, Baby Apes

Some people smuggle drugs. Others, dragons. Indonesian authorities cuffed a wildlife trader who allegedly trafficked komodo dragons, endangered baby primates and other live animals, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced. The trader, whose name was not released, was apparently linked to smuggling rings in Russia, Singapore, Thailand and Cyprus. He...

Jan 30, 2014

Color-Changing 'Sea Chameleons' Could Inspire New Military Camouflage

Cuttlefish are sometimes known as the chameleons of the sea, for their ability to change colors rapidly and blend in to their surroundings. Now, researchers have uncovered the three types of light makers on the skin that enable this sophisticated camouflage system. The results could lead to better protective gear...

Mar 4, 2014

Iguanas Have Oldest Reptilian Sex Chromosome

Iguanas have the oldest known sex chromosomes in the reptilian world, according to a new report. Sex chromosomes are the gene-carrying structures in cells that determine the sex of an organism. Some groups of animals, such as mammals and birds, pass down their sex chromosomes within evolutionary lineages and do...

May 28, 2014

Ancient 'Fish Lizard' Graveyard Discovered Beneath Melting Glacier

Dozens of nearly complete skeletons of prehistoric marine reptiles have been uncovered near a melting glacier in southern Chile. Scientists found 46 specimens from four different species of extinct ichthyosaurs. These creatures, whose Greek name means fish lizards, were a group of large, fast-swimming marine reptiles that lived during the...

Aug 12, 2014

Geckos' Sticky Secret? They Hang by Toe Hairs

Geckos are famous for their ability to scale vertical walls and even hang upside down, and now scientists understand more about how the expert climbers can pull off these gravity-defying feats: Geckos can quickly turn the stickiness of their feet on and off, a new study finds. Gecko toes are...

Oct 17, 2014

Komodo Dragon Facts

Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards in the world. They are identified by their massive size, flat heads, bowed legs and long, thick tails. The name comes from rumors that a dragon-like creature lived on the Indonesian island of Komodo. No Western scientists had seen a Komodo dragon until...

Nov 5, 2014

Ancient Reptile Is Smallest and Oldest-Known 'Fish Lizard'

A 248-million-year-old fossil of an ancient reptile found in China is the oldest known member of a well-known group of marine reptiles, and may have lived both on land and in the sea. The specimen is a primitive type of ichthyopterygian, a group related to ichthyosaurs, which are large marine...

Nov 12, 2014

New Nocturnal Gecko Species Discovered in Madagascar

A new species of gecko has been found living among the crumbling remains of an old French fort in northern Madagascar. The gecko, nocturnal by nature, is a master of camouflage and seamlessly blends in with the surrounding rocks and fortress ruins, according to a new study. Although researchers first...

Jan 8, 2015

Lizard Penises Evolve at Super-Speed

A lizard's penis evolves six times faster than any of its other parts, a new study finds. The study is the first to directly measure the evolution rate of the penis of any species, though researchers have long suspected that the male genitalia evolve faster than other body parts, said...