Educational Science

Caribbean Lizards Suggest Evolution More Predictable Than Thought

If you could rewind time and watch evolution take place all over again, would it happen the same way as it did before? This question has long puzzled thinkers like legendary evolutionary scientist Stephen Jay Gould, who proposed that evolution was utterly unpredictable and quite unrepeatable. But a new study...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...