Reptiles, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 4, 2016

In Photos: Amber Preserves Cretaceous Lizards

Colorful scales (Image credit: Daza et al. Sci. Adv. 2016; 2 : e1501080)Amber preserves ancient animals with a level of detail unrivaled by specimens fossilized in rock. By scrutinizing a group of lizards trapped in amber 99 million years ago, scientists discovered a number of unusual features that helped them...

Mar 4, 2016

Rare Amber-Entombed Lizards Preserved in Amazing Detail

Amber-imprisoned lizards from Southeast Asia that date back 99 million years ago make up the oldest assemblage of tropical lizards ever found in amber, according to a new study. The tiny, trapped fossils, found in Myanmar, represent an unparalleled sampling of species diversity for tropical lizards from the Cretaceous era,...

Mar 15, 2016

Allosaurus: Facts About the 'Different Lizard'

Allosaurus was among the earliest dinosaur discoveries, and fossils are plentiful, making it a darling of paleontologists, as well as amateur dinosaur observers. This large theropod (bipedal, carnivorous dinosaur), which is Utah's state fossil, lived 155.7 million to 150.8 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period. Allosaurus is the...

Mar 16, 2016

Apatosaurus: Facts About the 'Deceptive Lizard'

While some people outside the scientific community still refer to Apatosaurus as Brontosaurus, the name Brontosaurus was actually the result of a fossil mix-up. American paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh named one of his fossil discoveries — an incomplete set of the remains of a juvenile dinosaur — Apatosaurus ajax in...

Mar 17, 2016

Giganotosaurus: Facts About the 'Giant Southern Lizard'

Giganotosaurus was one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs. It roamed modern-day Argentina during the late Cretaceous Period, about 99.6 to 97 million years ago. For a long time, Tyrannosaurus rex — king of the dinosaurs — was thought to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur. Today, Giganotosaurus is believed to have...

Jun 29, 2016

Female Komodo Dragon Saved After Her Eggs Burst

DENVER — A complex surgery has saved the life of a captive Komodo dragon at the Denver Zoo. Anika, a 6-year-old female Komodo dragon, developed dystocia, a condition in which reptiles are unable to deposit their eggs. Dystocia is also called egg-binding, and it can be fatal for female lizards....

Jan 31, 2017

Chuckwalla Photos: Meet this Large, Desert-Dwelling Lizard

Boulders galore (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)Throughout the Baja and northern Mexico as well as the deserts of the American Southwest, mountains made up of millions of boulders are commonly found. Some, as shown here, are the remains of 1.6-million-year-old lava flows from ancient volcanoes that broke through...

Feb 7, 2017

Newfound Gecko Species Jumps Out of Its Own Skin

A newly discovered species of gecko with unusually large scales practices a bizarre defensive strategy that might make your skin crawl: When a predator catches hold, the gecko literally jumps out of its own skin. The species, Geckolepis megalepis, was described recently in a new study. Part of a small...

Mar 22, 2017

Facts About Gila Monsters

Gila monsters are the largest lizards native to the United States. They get their name from Arizona's Gila River basin, where they were first discovered. Gila (pronounced hee-la) monsters are also one of only two venomous lizards in the world. Size and descriptionGila monsters have large and stout bodies with...

May 10, 2017

Ankylosaurus: Facts About the Armored Lizard

Often compared to an army tank or bus, Ankylosaurus was a heavily armored dinosaur with a large club-like protrusion at the end of its tail. Ankylosaurus means fused lizard in Greek, and it was given that name because bones in its skull and other parts of its body were fused,...

May 23, 2017

Remains of Mini 'Komodo Dragon' Found in Greece

A long-lost relative of today's Komodo dragons lived in Europe as recently as 800,000 years ago. These reptilians were much smaller than the predatory Komodo dragons that live today in Indonesia. But the discovery of their fossils at a site in Greece was a surprise, because monitor lizards were thought...

Jun 21, 2017

Good-Luck Root? Actually, That's a Lizard Penis

Poachers have been caught trying to illegally sell dried lizard penises online to unwitting customers looking to purchase a rare Indian root called Hatha Jodi. The root looks like two praying hands and is thought to bring good luck. Hatha Jodi is used in religious ceremonies and is marketed as...

Jul 6, 2017

In Photos: Flashy Collared Lizards of the North American Deserts

Tall and handsome (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)North America has 155 species of lizards classified into eight families native to the continent. A few of these species that arrived to the continent during the years of conquest are now considered established introduced reptiles. The evolutionary origin of all...

Aug 2, 2017

Weird Worm-Lizard Creature Looks Like a Serpentine Centaur

With just its head and front legs peeking out from its underground burrow, the Mexican mole lizard could pass for a slender, pink lizard — until it emerges completely, its body etched with ring after earthworm-like ring. But despite its regular lizard-like appearance, the reptile doesn't have any hind legs....

Aug 22, 2017

Leaping Lizards! Live Gecko Found Inside a Man's Ear

Talk about an earache: When a man in China went to the hospital because of severe ear pain, doctors found a live gecko curled up in his ear canal, according to news reports. The man woke up in the morning complaining of severe pain in his ear, as well as...