Some unusual and amazing findings came to light recently, from odd reproductions to new species and information on extinct species. Here are a few interesting tidbits that will make you go HMMM.

From the New York Times, here is a little bit of something old:

Here is a quick paleontology quiz. Which group of animals included large, air-breathing predators up to 50 feet long that bore live young, dominated their world for more than 100 million years and were ultimately exterminated by an asteroid 65 million years ago?

Easy, right?

Did you say dinosaurs? Sorry, wrong answer. But it was a trickier question than it may have appeared.

And the title of the year goes to the stories about Lee Grismar's new discovery in Vietnam, "Lesbian lizards, psychedelic geckos discovered," from The Press Enterprise:

After a grueling two-week expedition to Malaysia last August with his son, a budding herpetologist, they discovered two new species: lesbian lizards and psychedelic geckos, both natives of South Vietnam.

Got your attention? Grismer, who lives in Temecula, grins impishly during an interview at the college lab he shares with his 7-year-old half-blind pit bull, Tank. Grismer still is as passionate about "herping," as he calls it, as he was when as a toddler he began nabbing lizards.

The lesbian, or asexual lizards, are 18 inches long and produce perfect clones. The mature females arouse one another and pretend to mate, which causes them to ovulate and lay eggs. The spectacular 5-inch psychedelic geckos seem to be painted fluorescent lavender, orange and yellow and glow in the dark.

And wrapping up with the something new, another fruit-eating monitor species has been unearthed in the Philippines according to this BBC News report. Looks like it's time to get Daniel Bennett back here to tell us what he knows:

Why the new massive lizard has remained undiscovered by scientists until now is a mystery, especially as many biologists work in the northern Philippines.

The researchers say it may be because the lizard is naturally reclusive, being a highly secretive animal that never leaves the forest or crosses open country.

It could also be because few scientific expeditions have characterised the reptiles living in the Sierra Madre forests.

The new species of monitor lives at least 150km away from its nearest relative, another lizard called V. olivaceus, which also lives in trees and eats fruit.