It was possible to get offspring from the laid eggs of a female gecko. It turned out that biologists have discovered a new species of chain-toed lizards. This is the first time a new species has been discovered not in nature, but in a laboratory
In recent years, where only biologists have not discovered previously unknown species of animals! At a market in Laos, a member of a zoological expedition bought a carcass of a new species of large rat, which was sold "for meat", previously unknown insects were found in central London, and fossilized remains are often identified in the storehouses of paleontological museums as new species and even families of dinosaurs. But the last event is unique, scientists have managed to bring out a new species of gecko lizard.
The expedition of biologists of the Paris Museum of Natural History worked on the New Hebrides east of Australia, which are now part of the state of Vanuatu, and were previously a condominium (co-ownership) of France and England (this absurd combination was nicknamed "pandemonium" - pitch hell). The subject of research was the state of tropical forests, and the expedition included zoologists. One of them, an expert in the study of reptiles, Ivan Ineich, on the island of Espiritu Santo, saw the remains of a female gecko, probably of a species unknown to science. Moreover, the state of the remains was such that there could be no question of any identification.
However, an observant zoologist noticed an untouched clutch of gecko eggs next to the eight-centimeter remains and sent nine eggs to Paris - by regular mail, wrapped in Kleenex wet wipes. In the museum, these eggs were placed in an incubator, and as a result, a baby gecko hatched from one egg, as it turned out, belonging to an absolutely new species of these claw-fanged lizards. Curiously, the remaining eight embryos died from the cold - in this area of Paris, the electricity was cut off!
The discovery of a new species of animal in the laboratory is the first such case in history. The question arises: there is only one new gecko, will it be possible to get offspring? Firstly, you can search on Espiritu Santo - where there is one female, there will be another. Secondly, parthenogenesis is possible in geckos, i.e. reproduction without the participation of the "father", and thirdly, the success of cloning is now evident. So the new species will not be lost.
It is not for nothing that gecko lizards are called chain-toed, hundreds of millions (!) Of hairs are located on the surface of their fingers, with the help of which they are able to attach to the smallest irregularities of the surface. It is well known that geckos keep calm and even run on the ceiling. Obviously having fun, sometimes they jump onto the bed. Therefore, Russian tourists, for example, in Turkey, do not really welcome these outwardly cute lizards.