Tag Archive for 'Squamata'

Life reconstruction of Tametara mirim. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto.

Did Early Snakes Burrow, Swim or Crawl? 80‑Million‑Year‑Old Fossil Suggests: All Three

Jul 23, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have unearthed a remarkably preserved fossil snake in Brazil that is reshaping ideas about how the earliest snakes lived and complicating...

Carinasquama rusmithii. Image credit: Daza et al., doi: 10.3897/sjp.145.188227.

Oldest Known Male Gecko Found Preserved in Kachin Amber

Jul 20, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of ancient gecko found in two pieces of amber from the 99-million-year-old (mid-Cretaceous) amber...

Life reconstruction of Tylosaurus rex in the Cretaceous-era Western Interior Seaway of North America. Image credit: Alderon Games / Path of Titans.

‘T. rex’ Mosasaur Ruled the Seas 80 Million Years Ago

May 21, 2026 by News Staff

Paleontologists have described a gigantic new species of mosasaur — stretching up to 13.2 m (43 feet) long and armed with serrated teeth —...

Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae. Image credit: Bob Nicholls.

Fossil of Oldest Known Lepidosaur Unearthed in UK

Sep 10, 2025 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have unearthed a complete skull and skeleton of a Triassic lepidosaur species — named Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae — in the...

Life reconstruction of Terastiodontosaurus marcelosanchezi ready to prey on a large snail of the family Bulimulidae. Image credit: Jaime Chirinos.

World’s Largest Worm Lizard Lived 47 Million Years Ago

Nov 22, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of trogonophid amphisbaenian (worm lizard) from fossilized specimens found in Tunisia. Life reconstruction...

The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko). Image credit: Duncan Leitch.

Geckos Have ‘Sixth Sense,’ Biologists Say

Oct 7, 2024 by News Staff

Geckos use the saccule — a part of their inner ear traditionally associated with maintaining balance and body positioning — to detect low-frequency...

Agasthyagama edge, an uncollected female in its habitat at the type locality in Kulamavu, Idukki district, Kerala, India. Image credit: Sandeep Das.

New Species of Kangaroo Lizard Discovered in India

Feb 2, 2024 by Natali Anderson

A research team led by University of Calicut scientists has described a new species of agamid lizard from the Indian state of Kerala. Agasthyagama edge,...

Photographs of live specimens and their habitats: (A) holotype of Calotes wangi; (B) holotype of Calotes wangi hainanensis; (C) allotype of Calotes wangi; (D) allotype of Calotes wangi hainanensis; (E, F) habitats; (G) oral cavity view. Image credit: Huang et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1187.110704.

Scientists Discover New Species of Lizard in Asia

Dec 27, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Researchers have described a new species of the genus Calotes from southern China and northern Vietnam. Photographs of live specimens and their habitats:...