Pirate Lizards Thrive with Three Legs, Surprising Scientists

Biologists have revealed that losing a limb does not have to be a life-ending experience for lizards. In fact, many of these stricken reptiles go on to thrive. We examine how these so-called ‘pirate lizards’ survive and how this finding may challenge the accepted view of natural selection.

Lizards with Missing Legs

The study appears in The American Naturalist with the wonderful title ‘Pirates of the Caribbean (and Elsewhere): Three-Legged Lizards and the Study of Evolutionary Adaptation’. The original idea was conceived when a lizard biologist at Washington University, Jonathan Losos, came across an anole lizard with a missing hind leg. Despite this disability, the female lizard was remarkably nimble. Having heard similar stories from other biologists, the study was set up in 2018. The team, which included James Stroud of Georgia Institute of Technology, contacted other lizard biologists in many other countries. Over the next few years, the team documented lizards with missing legs that they encountered.

A Missing Leg Is No Impediment

In the study, limb loss was defined as anything from a missing foot to an entirely absent limb. Overall, 122 cases were identified, which spanned 58 different lizard species. These pirate lizards were thriving despite missing a leg. All of them had healed limb injuries, and many of them were robust and healthy. Using high-speed cameras, the researchers analyzed the lizards’ movements. Some were affected by their disability, but others could run very fast. One could even run faster than other members of its species. This brown anole lizard increased its body undulation (rising and falling body movement) to move faster.

Darwin’s Natural Selection

It has long been believed that lizards evolved long limbs through natural selection. The individuals with longer limbs were more likely to survive and breed, so this feature was passed on to future generations. However, this study suggests that lizards missing a leg can also thrive by adapting their behavior. This is an evolutionary puzzle for scientists. Perhaps pirate lizards have other traits that help them survive, or perhaps the pressures that led to the evolution of this trait are no longer around. These lizards may simply be avoiding situations that would ordinarily lead to their demise. Whatever the reason, you have to admire the pirate lizards that do not let the loss of a limb stop them from enjoying a full life.