Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

May 27, 2015

Photos: 11 Colorful Chameleons of Madagascar

The panther chameleon, admired for its color-changing abilities, is not a single species, as scientists long thought. Researchers went on a road trip around Madagascar and found more than 300 panther chameleons. An analysis of blood samples and photos of each individual suggest that instead of one species, the panther...

Jun 2, 2015

Chameleon Facts

Chameleons are reptiles that are part of the iguana suborder. These colorful lizards are known as one of the few animals that can change skin color. However, it is a misconception that chameleons change colors to match their surroundings. SizeAccording to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), there are 171...

Jun 4, 2015

Dragon Tales: Zookeeper's Komodo Bite Raises Questions

One woman recently became the heroine of her own modern-day fairy tale, after she was bitten by a dragon and lived to tell the tale. The woman, a zookeeper in Omaha, Nebraska, was bitten on the hand by a juvenile Komodo dragon while caring for the creature inside its cage,...

Jun 11, 2015

Iguana Facts

Iguanas are lizards identified by their stocky stature, the saggy skin on their throats and the spines that protrude from their heads, necks, backs and tails. Iguanas are popular pets and can live 15 to 20 years if cared for properly. SizeThe longest of the iguanas is the green iguana....

Sep 1, 2015

Iguana Relative Shows How Lizards Spread Worldwide

An 80-million-year-old lizard discovered in southern Brazil has provided a surprising clue about how these reptiles evolved, and where they once lived, according to a new study. Until now, researchers had found acrodontans only in the Old World, including Africa and Asia. (This is a type of lizard is called...

Oct 2, 2015

Why Some Chameleons Are Expert Tree Climbers

Chameleons may be known for their impressive color-changing abilities, but these curious creatures are also expert tree climbers. Now, new research suggests that chameleons can scale trees because they have twice as many bones in their wrists and ankles when they are developing as scientists had previously thought. Many chameleon...

Jan 4, 2016

Tiny Chameleons' Tongues Pack a Powerful Punch

The tiniest chameleons punch higher than their weight class, packing relatively more power into their tongues than their larger relatives. Small is mighty for these lizards, which can accelerate their tongues toward a cricket at up to 264 times the force of gravity, a new study shows. The top-performing tongues...

Jan 4, 2016

In Photos: Clever Chameleons Stick Out Their Tongues

Chameleons are known for their color-changing trickery and tongue-lashing feats. Now, scientists have found the tiniest of these clever reptiles also pack the most power in their elastic tongues. Here's a look at the amazing animals and their tongue-y feats. [Read full article on tiny chameleons] Tiny but mighty A...

Jan 26, 2016

Burning Love: Cold-Blooded Lizards Heat Up to Mate

Although lizards may have a chilly reputation, some species might not stay cold year-round: Tegu lizards can raise their body temperatures during mating season to several degrees higher than the environment around them, new research finds. That's no small feat for a cold-blooded reptile. Tegu lizards are not as hefty...

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....