Australian Lizards Can “Pop Wheelies”

The first researchers who spotted Australian dragon lizards trotting along on their hind legs were amused, perplexed, and amazed. When the critters took off over the dusty plain in a high-speed dash, they lifted their front legs and ran bipedally, looking a bit like tiny dinosaurs. Those early researchers assumed that the trick must give the lizards an advantage in speed or endurance, but they didn't do the lizard races to prove it. They also wondered if the lizards were gradually evolving into entirely bipedal animals. Now, a new study in the Journal of Experimental Biology [subscription required] declares that the maneuver does not help the lizards put on extra speed after all, and actually decreases endurance. In a surprising twist, researchers called the lizards' upright stance just an "evolutionary accident." Researcher Christofer Clemente embarked on this knowledge quest based on a simple question: