Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 22, 2012

Blue Iguana Slithers Back from Extinction

Just a decade ago, the Grand Cayman blue iguana was on the brink of extinction, with only 10 to 25 individuals left in the wild. But the reptile has made a major comeback and is no longer listed as a critically endangered species. The blue iguana, which is only found...

Oct 24, 2012

Why Do Lizards Do Push-Ups?

Lizards work out for the same reason a guy at the gym might: as a display of strength. And with lizards, as can be the case with men, the push-ups also mean get out of my territory. And a new study finds some lizards make a morning and evening routine...

Oct 29, 2012

Newly Found Lizard May Be Lost Soon

Say hello, and maybe goodbye, to the coastal plains skink — a new species of lizard discovered in Australia that researchers say is already on the decline. The skink, named Ctenotus ora, lives in the sand dunes along Western Australia's Swan Coastal Plain, a stretch of coastline just south of...

Dec 21, 2012

Cut Here: Gecko Tails Rip Off Along 'Dotted' Line

Like a pair of Velcro stripper pants, gecko tails come off easy. The lizards have pre-formed score lines in their tail that allow them to quickly rip off their tails when a predator has grabbed it, according to a new study. The gecko tails, which were described Wednesday (Dec. 19)...

Mar 21, 2013

2 New Lizard Species Discovered in Peru

Two new colorful species of lizards have been discovered in the Peruvian rain forest, in a little-explored section of the Andes Mountains in the northeast of the country. Both species of lizards sport colorful splotches of green and brown that allow them to blend into the mountain rain forests they...

Mar 29, 2013

How to Count Komodo Dragons

How do you count Komodo dragons? With some cameras and the element of surprise. Camera traps are frequently used to take pictures and monitor populations of large mammals like tigers and leopards, but until now, they haven't been used often to count Komodo dragons ― the world's largest lizards ―...

Apr 12, 2013

Elderly Woman Survives Komodo Dragon Attack

An 83-year-old Indonesian woman survived a recent attack by a fearsome 2-meter-long (6.6 feet) Komodo dragon and is currently recovering in the hospital. The attack occurred when Haisah, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was making a broom from a coconut tree, Agence France-Press reported. The reptile pounced...

Apr 25, 2013

Boa Spotted Eating Endangered Iguana for First Time

The Pacific boa usually eats skinks and geckos, and other small reptiles on the islands of Fiji where it is found. But it also has a more concerning prey: the endangered Fiji banded iguana, which is much larger than its common prey and — more importantly — deemed endangered by...

Apr 30, 2013

Exotic Lizards on the Loose in Florida

At a time when spring flowers should be emerging from the ground, dozens of four-foot foreign lizards instead crawled out of the dirt in one Florida backyard this month. An exotic pet dealer in Panama City, Fla., abandoned his lot of lizards called tegus back in the fall when his...

May 1, 2013

Images: Exotic Lizards Pop Out of the Ground in Florida

Tegu In Florida (Image credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)This South American lizard called a tegu was captured in Florida after it was abandoned by an exotic pet dealer. Tegu Trap (Image credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)Jake Edwards, an exotic wildlife technician for the Florida Fish and...

Jun 4, 2013

Monitor Lizards Threatened by Pet Trade, Fashion Industry

Coveted by exotic pet dealers and handbag-makers, colorful monitor lizards in Southeast Asia may be facing more serious conservation threats than thought, researchers say. Monitor lizards are a group of strong-bodied, intelligent mostly carnivorous reptiles, including the fearsome Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, which can grow to a...

Jun 4, 2013

Real-Life 'Lizard King' Named for Doors' Jim Morrison

A lizard the size of a German shepherd once roamed Myanmar, a new fossil analysis reveals. The lizard, one of the largest ever known, has been dubbed Barbaturex morrisoni in honor of The Doors' singer Jim Morrison, who once wrote a song that included the lyrics, I am the lizard...

Jul 18, 2013

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...

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...