Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Aug 25, 2017

Facts About Geckos

Geckos are a type of lizard. Though there are about 1,500 species of geckos, they all have some similarities, including amazing tails, a simple diet and hairy skin. SizeOne thing they don't have in common is size. Geckos come in a wide range of sizes. The smallest gecko (and the...

Sep 11, 2017

Frozen in Time: Ancient, Long-Fingered Lizard Trapped in Amber

In a case worthy of Sherlock Holmes, researchers are trying to figure out exactly when and where in the world a long-fingered lizard got trapped in the sticky sap of a tree. Over time, that sap, or tree resin turned into amber, preserving the lizard's remains, including its textured skin....

Nov 30, 2017

Photos: Gorgeous Shots of the Adorable Horned Lizard

Across the continent (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher)Currently, there are eight known families of lizards found across North America, with 155 identified species. These squamate reptiles first appear in the fossil record during the Triassic period some 251 million to 199 million years ago. Found on all continents...

Jan 5, 2018

Watch for Falling Iguanas! Bomb Cyclone Drops Frozen Lizards

You know what they say: When it rains, it pours — and when it snows in Florida, it hails frozen iguanas. As a so-called bomb cyclone continues lashing the U.S. East Coast with historic cold temperatures, weird weather abounds. In south Florida, temperatures dipped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees...

Jan 17, 2018

Chameleons' Secret Glow Comes from Their Bones

Blending seamlessly into one's surroundings is known as being chameleon-like for a good reason — chameleons shift the colors and patterns of their skin to hide from predators in plain sight, or to communicate during social interactions with other chameleons. But there's a secret, illuminated layer to chameleons' colorful signaling:...

Mar 12, 2018

Florida Scientists Are Running Around at Night Bashing in Iguanas' Skulls

A team of scientists in Florida are on a three-month, $63,000 iguana-bashing spree. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contracted the 15-member crew from the University of Florida to develop a set of best practices for killing the big lizards, according to a March 9 report in the Sun-Sentinel....