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Life

Lizards re-evolved eggs after thousands of years of live births

By Michael Le Page

5 December 2017

 

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Laurie Campbell/naturepl.com

Which came first, the lizard or the egg? In the case of at least one lizard, we have an answer: the live-bearing lizard came first and only later evolved the ability to lay eggs. It’s a rare example of a species re-evolving a complex trait that had been lost.

The common lizard is just that. It is found across a broad swathe of Eurasia, from Ireland in the west to Japan in the east. Its name Zootoca vivipara means “live-bearing” in both Greek and Latin, and as you might expect it gives birth to its young.

But there are…

Article amended on 7 December 2017

Kathryn Elmer is at the University of Glasgow

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