“White Whale” Hybrid Lizard Found in Madagascar

A new species of lizard discovered in Madagascar has been named "Moby Dick" (the name of the White Whale in the classic novel of the same name by American writer Herman Melville, which has been translated into Vietnamese), due to its paddle-shaped front legs and unpigmented skin.

The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) said on January 15 that the lizard species "Sirenoscincus mobydick" has special anatomical characteristics, a unique combination of characteristics found in amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds of all kinds.

"Sirenoscincus mobydick". (Source: AFP)

The discovery, made by French, Malagasy, American and German researchers, was published in the weekly journal Zoosystema in late December.

The center says the "Moby Dick" lizard was discovered in the forests of northwestern Madagascar.

Because this creature lives underground, its skin has lost its pigment and its eyes have almost disappeared. And although the lizard still has front legs, its feet are completely gone.

The center calls the creature a "morphological reminder" of cetaceans - carnivorous marine mammals such as whales and dolphins./.

According to (Vietnam+) - VT