LIZARDS SURFED FORTH AND MULTIPLIED?NEW YORK -- New research suggests chameleons colonized the globe by surfing across the seas. Scientists admit they're surprised by the number of times the lizards apparently took to the sea.Chameleons aren't good swimmers, but researchers say several times in their evolution they grasped driftwood and floated around the world. A team led by Chris Raxworthy of the American Museum of Natural History compared the anatomy and genetics of 52 species worldwide. They believe chameleons originated on the island of Madagascar and probably spread out from there in several waves. The theory goes against others which suggest the original species was split by the parting continents. The lizards probably floated around the seas on uprooted trees or other vegetation, said Raxworthy's report. |