Lizard

Researchers have discovered a new species of marine lizard, Khinjaria acuta, from the late Cretaceous period, showcasing the diversity of marine ecosystems before the dinosaur extinction. This species, part of the mosasaur family, highlights a time when the oceans teemed with a variety of giant predators, unlike today’s ecosystems dominated by a few apex predators. Credit: Andrey AtuchinSixty-six million years ago, the oceans were full of large apex predators, unlike now.Paleontologists have discovered a strange new…

A juvenile Gila monster named Winston is a key suspect in the death of his owner, who is currently suspected of having had a sensitivity to the lizard's toxic saliva.The Colorado man passed away on 16 February just four days after being bitten by the reptile, potentially becoming just the second person in the past century to have died as a result of Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) venom."That's a very unusual consequence of a Gila monster bite," University of Northern Colorado biologist Stephen Mackessy told CBS news…

A 280-million-year-old fossil from the Italian Alps is pretty much just black paint in the lizard-shaped grooves of a rock. So say researchers who examined the specimen and laid to rest questions that have long puzzled paleontologists.The fossil, known as Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was found in 1931. Based on what looked like the imprint of preserved soft tissue, it was classified as a protorosauria, a now-extinct long-necked reptile group that is believed to contain the precursors of the archosaur group which, in turn,…

Not far from the bank of Wapiti River, just 11 kilometres from Grande Prairie, there's a paleontological goldmine: an ancient riverbed that contains fragments of skeletons of hundreds, possibly thousands, of animals from the late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago. Discovered in 2014,  the bonebed is known as a DC site, or, more formally, Wapiti Unit 3.It yields a wide range of fossils and teeth from many species of prehistoric vertebrates, said Corwin Sullivan, a University of Alberta paleontologist who does…

A new iguana species, Wang’s garden lizard, has been identified in Asia, featuring unique characteristics and a diverse diet. While not currently threatened, conservation concerns have been raised due to habitat fragmentation and human exploitation. Credit: Huang et al.A newly discovered iguana species adds to Asia’s diverse reptile population, having been formally recognized in the scientific community through its description in the open-access journal ZooKeys.“From 2009 to 2022, we conducted a series of field surveys in…

Earlier this year, Adam Sandler’s high-volume, low-quality Netflix deal gifted us with the surprisingly sensitive coming-of-age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, a rare critical win for his company, Happy Madison. It might not have reached the heights of the year’s other big pre-teen adaptation Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? but it was sweeter and subtler than most expected and became his best-reviewed film to date on Rotten Tomatoes, an interesting use of his sway at the streamer.It might have been…

Photo via Searchlight Pictures Having formed in the United States in the late ’90s, Broken Lizard is a comedy troupe with a distinct style, recognized for its frequent parodies of many film subgenres. The five-person company consists of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, all bringing their unique brand of humor. The group’s five members first met at Colgate University, where they began developing their comedic skills. They founded the Broken Lizard comedy troupe…

Insomniac Games has announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch on October 20 only on PlayStation 5. After the success of 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man and 2020’s Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the developer has worked over the past few years to make the third instalment in the franchise.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is built for PlayStation 5 and claims to unlock the power of the console with better visuals, faster web-swinging, 3D Audio and near-instant character switching. This title from Insomniac, PlayStation and…

“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” game will feature the black suit Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Venom, Kraven, the Lizard, and likely more fan-favorite characters in a sequel that’s looking jam-packed with content. In the game’s debut gameplay preview on Wednesday, it’s shown that players can swap between the two major Spider-Men. Miles is packing his electric abilities from his standalone game, “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” while Peter Parker’s Spidey has the fresh addition of symbiote powers, meaning oily tendril…

Six animal coffins from Egypt—impressively still sealed after about 2,500 years—have been opened virtually by a team of researchers using a unique imaging technology.The coffins contained lizard remains, the scientists found, as well as textiles that may have once wrapped the small bodies and lead, which may have had magical connotations. The coffins’ insides were revealed using neutron tomography after several failed attempts to see inside the coffins with X-ray imaging. The team’s research is published today in…