Australian Lizard Changes Sex in High Temperatures

Scientists have discovered that lizards can change sex in hot weather, a phenomenon that has not been seen before in the wild.

Genetically male Australian Central Bearded Dragons can develop as female when eggs are incubated at a higher temperature, research has shown.

This process had previously been demonstrated in a lab, but had not been witnessed happening in the wild before.

Scientists at the Institute for Applied Ecology at University of Canberra also discovered that the sex-swapping lizards, were able to successfully mate with other male dragons.

When the sex-reversed females mated with ‘normal’ male lizards, the sex of the offspring was entirely determined by egg incubation temperature, rather than chromosomes.

The research provides a vital insight into how sex is determined in lizards in the wild, and how this could be affected as climate change continues to cause global temperatures to rise.

It also suggests that there are other species that are capable of the same process.

(Photo credit: Arthur Georges)