Malformations of for unhatched Amazon lava lizards caused by heat stress (IMAGE)

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Malformations of for unhatched Amazon lava lizards caused by heat stress

Caption

Examples of severe malformations caused by thermal stress. The white scale bars equal 1cm. Top left: an embryo with exencephaly and caudal torsion; top right: embryo with severe axial deformation and skeletal displacement; bottom left: embryo with exencephaly and pronounced cranial flattening; bottom right: embryo with extreme generalized malformation affecting the entire body. As reptile embryos cannot behaviorally escape extreme heat, this highlights how climate warming may affect the survival and long-term persistence of lizard populations in rapidly warming environments.

Credit

Dillenburg et al., 2026.

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