Lizards | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/lizards/RSS feed for LizardsenWed, 02 Sep 2026 11:30:00 +0000Reptiles Make a Surprising Amount of Noise. Here's What Those Sounds Might Mean, From Pops to Hoots to Bellowshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/reptiles-make-a-surprising-amount-of-noise-heres-what-those-sounds-might-mean-from-pops-to-hoots-to-bellows-180989422/Scientists are realizing that turtles, lizards and crocodilians communicate vocally more than they once thoughtWed, 02 Sep 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/reptiles-make-a-surprising-amount-of-noise-heres-what-those-sounds-might-mean-from-pops-to-hoots-to-bellows-180989422/See 16 Stunning Animal Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awardshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-16-stunning-animal-images-from-the-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180989397/Now in its 62nd year, the famed competition has released a sneak peek of the entries from this contest ahead of announcing the winners in OctoberWed, 26 Aug 2026 18:28:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-16-stunning-animal-images-from-the-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180989397/How Did Some Reptiles Lose Their Limbs to Become Snakes? An 80-Million-Year-Old Fossil Helps Uncover the Winding Evolutionary Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-some-reptiles-lose-their-limbs-to-become-snakes-an-80-million-year-old-fossil-helps-uncover-the-winding-evolutionary-history-180989203/Researchers have long suspected that the first of these slithering creatures lived in water, on land or underground. New research hints that more than one environment might be correctWed, 29 Jul 2026 17:20:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-some-reptiles-lose-their-limbs-to-become-snakes-an-80-million-year-old-fossil-helps-uncover-the-winding-evolutionary-history-180989203/Eight Fascinating Scientific Discoveries From 2025 That Could Lead to New Inventionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/By studying the natural world, scientists find blueprints for innovations that can improve human lives—in the genes of a shark, the fur of a polar bear and the flipper of an extinct reptileTue, 30 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/Iguanas Are Native, Not Invasive, on This Mexican Island, DNA Study Suggests, Rewriting Conservation Ideashttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/iguanas-are-native-not-invasive-on-this-mexican-island-dna-study-suggests-rewriting-conservation-ideas-180987653/The spiny-tailed iguanas of Clarion Island predate human presence in the Americas by tens of thousands of years, researchers sayFri, 07 Nov 2025 18:39:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/iguanas-are-native-not-invasive-on-this-mexican-island-dna-study-suggests-rewriting-conservation-ideas-180987653/These 'Pirate Lizards' Thrive With Three Legshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-pirate-lizards-thrive-with-three-legs-180987549/A new study finds that many lizards with missing limbs fare surprisingly well despite their impairmentTue, 21 Oct 2025 18:58:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-pirate-lizards-thrive-with-three-legs-180987549/Ig Nobel Prizes Honor Fingernails, Painted Cows and Cacio e Pepe in a Celebration of Strange Sciencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ig-nobel-prizes-honor-fingernails-painted-cows-and-cacio-e-pepe-in-a-celebration-of-strange-science-180987381/Ten research projects earned awards for achievements that have made people "laugh, then think"Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:56:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ig-nobel-prizes-honor-fingernails-painted-cows-and-cacio-e-pepe-in-a-celebration-of-strange-science-180987381/'Once in a Lifetime': Rare 'Virgin Birth' of Eight Iguana Babies Surprises Zookeepers in Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/once-in-a-lifetime-rare-virgin-birth-of-eight-iguana-babies-surprises-zookeepers-in-england-180987315/A female casque-headed iguana produced live hatchlings even though she has never shared an enclosure with a maleWed, 10 Sep 2025 18:22:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/once-in-a-lifetime-rare-virgin-birth-of-eight-iguana-babies-surprises-zookeepers-in-england-180987315/These Lizards Have So Much Lead in Their Blood, They Should Be Dead. Instead, They're Thrivinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-lizards-have-so-much-lead-in-their-blood-they-should-be-dead-instead-theyre-thriving-180987224/Brown anoles around New Orleans have the highest blood concentrations of lead ever recorded in vertebrates—and scientists aren't sure why they can survive itFri, 22 Aug 2025 20:21:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-lizards-have-so-much-lead-in-their-blood-they-should-be-dead-instead-theyre-thriving-180987224/Scientists Discover Australian Lizards Have Mutations to Resist Snake Venom—and One Day, That Could Help Humanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-australian-lizards-have-mutations-to-resist-snake-venom-and-one-day-that-could-help-humans-180987120/A new study looking at how skinks have evolved to block venom from reaching their muscles could guide development of new antivenomsWed, 06 Aug 2025 20:01:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-australian-lizards-have-mutations-to-resist-snake-venom-and-one-day-that-could-help-humans-180987120/