lizards

9 Stories

It's Not Truly Winter in Florida Until the Iguanas Start Falling

Cold snap in Sunshine State has temporarily paralyzed lizards, causing them to drop from trees

(Newser) - The weather forecast for the next few days is out in the Sunshine State, and it's an unusual but not completely foreign prediction. "*FALLING IGUANAS* possible this weekend in Southwest Florida," a WINK meteorologist warned Thursday on social media, citing a phenomenon that often happens when Florida'...

Urban Lizards Show 'Evolution as It's Unfolding'
Urban Lizards
Show 'Evolution
as It's Unfolding'
NEW STUDY
Jan 15, 2023 2:10 PM CST

Urban Lizards Show 'Evolution as It's Unfolding'

'Anolis cristatellus' evolved to cling to windows and walls over 30 to 80 generations: study

(Newser) - Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found, per the AP . The Puerto Rican crested anole, a brown lizard with a bright orange throat fan, has sprouted special scales to better cling to smooth...

'Needless to Say, the Addressee Was Quite Startled'

Live lizards were mailed to the wrong address near New York City

(Newser) - Several live lizards were wrongly delivered to a residence in a village north of New York City. "Needless to say the addressee was quite startled when they opened the box," Port Chester police wrote on Facebook. Police received the call about the reptiles just after noon on Saturday....

Lizard Finally Turns Up, 100 Years Later

Living specimens of Voeltzkow's chameleon are found in Madagascar

(Newser) - Talk about good camouflage! Scientists say they have found an elusive chameleon species that was last spotted in Madagascar 100 years ago. Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said Friday that they discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow's chameleon during an expedition to the northwest of the African island nation....

They Eat 'Anything They Want.' Ga. Wants to Get Rid of Them

Argentine black-and-white tegu lizards are invading the Peach State

(Newser) - They can grow up to 4 feet long, weigh up to 10 pounds, live up to 20 years, and eat "just about anything they want." Now, Georgia is trying to rid itself of the Argentine black-and-white tegu lizard, an invasive species so far spotted in Toombs and Tattnall...

Zoo Drops 500 Lizards in Liquid Nitrogen

But they had to ask permission first

(Newser) - A Swedish zoo that couldn't properly house over 500 reptiles made the hard choice of having them dropped into liquid nitrogen, The Local in Sweden reports. The Tropicarium Rescue Centre at Kolmården Zoo near Norrköping took in the reptiles after Swedish police rescued 760 lizards and other...

Scientists Discover New Legless Lizards

And nope, they are not snakes

(Newser) - You may think the pictures look like snakes or worms, but they're not: Those are legless lizards, four new species of which were discovered in California recently. Unlike snakes, the lizards spend most of their lives underground, in an area about the size of a small table, LiveScience reports—...

19% Reptiles at Risk of Extinction
 19% of Reptiles at 
 Risk of Extinction 
New Study
Feb 15, 2013 6:59 AM CST

19% of Reptiles at Risk of Extinction

Study reviewed 1,500 species

(Newser) - Farming and logging are destroying the habitats of the world's reptiles, putting nearly one in five in danger of extinction, reports AFP . The new study—in which 200 experts examined 1,500 species of snakes, turtles, lizards, crocodiles, and other reptiles—claims to be the most comprehensive made of...

No, Those Iguanas Aren't Dead


 No, Those Iguanas Aren't Dead 
COLD, FLORIDA STYLE
Jan 6, 2010 9:37 PM CST

No, Those Iguanas Aren't Dead

They shut down, fall out of trees in chill, but will revive

(Newser) - No, those iguanas plummeting out of trees all over Florida haven’t been killed by the unusual cold, nor are they suicidal over it. In fact, a Miami zoologist tells WPLG-TV , the lizards’ bodies basically turn off when temps dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and they hibernate until things get...

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