New species of lizard found living the high life (LINK)
August 31st 2008 01:55
A new species of thin-toed gecko, Crytopodion baigii, has been discovered in the Himalayan-Karakoram range in Pakistan.
Gecko's, like all lizards, are ectothermic - that means they get their heat from external sources, unlike mammals - which are endothermic and generate their own constant body temperature. So lizards bask in the sun to warm themselves, to get enough energy to run around and grab food (and mates, and whatever else). So, you would think that being a lizard in northern regions, and particularly high altitude northern regions, wouldn't be a great gig - you'd have to expect to freeze your little scales off... Well, the thin-toed new species was discovered in Northern Pakistan, where it is likely to get more than a bit nippy in the winter, at altitudes of about 1100-1200 meters, in very rocky habitat.
Unfortunately, we can't ask the thin-toed one's what it's like to be an ectothermic on top of a bloody cold mountain range, but we can only imagine that the species has a number of special adaptations (strap-on solar panels, perhaps) that allow it survive and persist in such an inhospitable environment.
The finding was reported in Zootaxa journal, by Rafaquat Masroor. Really Long Link
Gecko's, like all lizards, are ectothermic - that means they get their heat from external sources, unlike mammals - which are endothermic and generate their own constant body temperature. So lizards bask in the sun to warm themselves, to get enough energy to run around and grab food (and mates, and whatever else). So, you would think that being a lizard in northern regions, and particularly high altitude northern regions, wouldn't be a great gig - you'd have to expect to freeze your little scales off... Well, the thin-toed new species was discovered in Northern Pakistan, where it is likely to get more than a bit nippy in the winter, at altitudes of about 1100-1200 meters, in very rocky habitat.
Unfortunately, we can't ask the thin-toed one's what it's like to be an ectothermic on top of a bloody cold mountain range, but we can only imagine that the species has a number of special adaptations (strap-on solar panels, perhaps) that allow it survive and persist in such an inhospitable environment.
The finding was reported in Zootaxa journal, by Rafaquat Masroor. Really Long Link
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