Lizard Previously Unknown To Science Found On Vietnam Menu

eldavojohn writes "A lizard long served on the menu in the Mekong Delta has recently caught the attention of scientists when it was noted that all animals in the species appeared identical as well as female. The species appears to be a hybrid of two other species (like a mule or liger). But the curious thing is that this hybrid isn't sterile — it reproduces asexually. The species, known for some time in Vietnam, has now officially been named Leiolepis ngovantrii."

Comments

TERRIBLE RESTAURANT!!!!!

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

You got a Lizard on the Menu? I had a fly in the soup!

No tip from me, that's for sure. And I'm telling all my friends about this!

Re:Hmmm.. what if

[Mitchell314]

Us geeks would actually be able to reproduce?

Biggest question not answered!

[Kenja]

How does it taste?

Re:Biggest question not answered!

[mekongdelta]

It tastes quite good, really. It tastes best when fried. It is crispy and sweet, like snakes. I used to hunts these lizards and ate them once in a while but back then (more than 20 years ago) few people ate them unless they had Asthma. It is an effective medicine to treat Asthma.

Re:Biggest question not answered!

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Ah. Like KFC then.

Re:Biggest question not answered!

[mekongdelta]

I really enjoy your comments! I am a long time /. reader but have never posted a comment. Yes, I created this account to specifically post my comments on this topic. I am a native Vietnamese speaker too who used to live in Can Tho city - a city that is right at Mekong Delta. When I was a teenager hunting these lizards was my favorite activity after school. They run very fast, they are usually on the ground but they can climb trees as fast. And their bites can be lethal, or so I thought (there was a rumor that when they bite you, you had to drink a mouthful of water quickly; otherwise, if the lizards drink the water before you do, you die ! :-( Like I said their meat tastes quite good, actually very good (otherwise, they wouldn't be on the menu) but the main reason I like to hunt them because catching them are fun andI can sell them for a few bucks (we call it Dong in Vietnam)

Re:Leiolepis ngovantrii?

[snookerhog]

translates to "good with bean sprouts and green onion"

Re:I'll take one

[eviloverlordx]

Lizard: The other white meat.

Re:Hmmm.. what if

[icebike]

Get pretty crowded in the basement wouldn't it?

Iguana on a Stick Eh?

[BJ_Covert_Action]

"What's that? You're selling Iguana on a stick? Give me a second to get another Nuka-Cola out of the fridge first."

;)

Alternative allusion:
"You eat one Iguana on a Stick.
+25 hit points.
Temporary +1 to Science skill"

Unknown to Science...

[icebike]

Usually means unknown to western science.

I'm sure some ancient biologist documented them but it was never translated to English, if written at all. Its hard enough for the casual observer to tell a lizard's gender that nobody even noticed.

Rural people, even western people, see things every day in their environment that they assume is well known, and never bother to document. When noticed "scientists" it somehow becomes a discovery.

Someone "Discovered" America. Those already living in America at the time "Discovered" large sailboats at about the same time. Perspective.

Re:Unknown to Science...

[Bowling Moses]

"Rural people, even western people, see things every day in their environment that they assume is well known, and never bother to document. When noticed "scientists" it somehow becomes a discovery."

There's a reason for that. If you or I or a local group of people know something, great. But it's local, and limited, and easy to wipe out. Once that knowledge escapes that small group, either by the actions of that group or by an external factor it becomes something greater: part of the shared knowledge of humanity from which someone with no connection to the initial source of information can nonetheless make use of. For instance I'm working on a paper with a Chinese collaborator about the traditional use of certain plants by local farmers to combat pest insects. We're describing what those local farmers are doing (and probably have been doing for centuries) and providing an additional biochemical perspective; this knowledge will for the first time be available globally. It could lead to new insecticides, or perhaps the wider adoption of these plants themselves as organic insecticidal agents, and either or both could be done far outside the isolated community in which the use of these plants was found. This work is just a tiny part of a much larger, decades-long, global research effort by thousands of scientists (note lack of scare quotes) to try and take traditional medicine and other practices (including westerners: aspirin, for example), discover what works, how it works, and make that knowledge generally available. How's that for some perspective?

sexual reproduction

[alphastrike]

That's interesting, sexual reproduction is meant to increase genetic variation within a population and adapting to evolutionary changes. An animal that forgoes this process and clones itself to reproduce must of had genetic defects already weeded out from the gene pool at large. It might have perfectly adapted to survive in its surroundings, without experiencing harsh evolutionary demands. If this lizard has been around for millions of years, it might be interesting to analyze genetic variance of individual lizards, and see how many original lines exist within the population. After all if they are clones, it's possible that the entire species is consisted of clones descended from ONE individual! That's pretty rad stuff for the animal kingdom.

AHAHAHA - WHAT?

[Anonymous Coward]

A female lizard that reproduces asexually? Sounds more like a lez-zard than a liz-zard amirite? Hi-five!
...
...
(c'mon yer leavin' me hangin'...)

.

Re:Hmmm.. what if

[somersault]

Would make LAN parties slightly easier to organise at least.

apropos Jurassic Park quote

[Spectre]

Dr. Wu: "You're implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will breed?"

Ian: "No. I'm simply saying that life, uh, finds a way."

Wow, Ian was right again ...

Are they served "RARE?"

[Trip6]

Thanks, I'm here all week.

Re:Hmmm.. what if

[lul_wat]

Josef Fritzl is that you??