Scientists Discover Self-Cloning Lizard Species On Vietnamese Restaurant Menu
Leiolepis ngovantrii A curiosity and a delicacy L. Lee GrismerI'll have the undiscovered-species banh mi, please Leiolepis ngovantrii, a smallish agamid lizard native to southeast Asia, is the newest species of the Leiolepis genus to be discovered, in fact only coming to official taxonomic light earlier this year. As an all-female species that reproduces by self-cloning, it's definitely a peculiar critter. As a lizard that was discovered in a tank in a Vietnamese restaurant--and almost lost when "a crazy guy" drunkenly ordered them for all his friends--it's an amazing anecdote. Leiolepis ngovantrii was discovered when a Vietnamese scientist noticed a tank of surprisingly similar-looking lizards in a southern Vietnam restaurant. The Leiolepis lizard exhibits very different colors in male and female specimens, so the fact that every single lizard appeared to be female was a clue that these might not be your run-of-the-mill Leiolepis. In fact, Leiolepis ngovantrii turned out to be...