Lizards Released and Stranded on Islands Show Evolution at Work
Like something out of a reality-TV show, scientists released pairs of small lizards onto tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas and watched what happened. Rather than playing for money or fame, the reptiles played for survival, allowing the voyeuristic researchers to witness the interaction between evolutionary processes rarely observed in nature.
After several years and multiple generations of lizards, the researchers found that both natural selection — whereby traits that enhance survival get passed down from generation to generation — and random processes contributed to the animals' genetics and their physical characteristics.
"We were actually able to see these processes and document them happening in a natural environment," Jason Kolbe, a biologist at the University of Rhode Island who led the study, told LiveScience. "We know that islands are colonized by new species over time, but we are rarely there to see it happen."
The missing reptiles were from a group of 18 Komodos that hatched at the Surabaya Zoo in March last year. Authorities suspect they were taken by black market traders. Baby Komodos can fetch more than Rp 30 million ($3500), according to a