Yeah, this one's true. *shudder*
From the science fiction news site blastr, Scientists discover unknown lizard species ... at lunch buffet.
We can only imagine how thrilling it must be for a scientist to discover a previously unknown species. But for a scientist to discover a previously unknown species being served at lunch buffet ... well, THAT we don't even want to try to imagine!
But that's what happened to herpetologist Lee Grismer. When Grismer heard from a colleague at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology about an undocumented species of all-female lizard in the Mekong River delta that reproduced by cloning, he hopped a plane with his son to see for himself.
From the original CNN story:
So what does a plate full of Leiolepis ngovantrii taste like?
Well, nothing remotely like chicken, Grismer says.
"You wouldn't want to substitute it for a Big Mac or anything like that," he says, and you won't see lizard banh mi showing up on menus anytime soon.
Grismer complained that he had to hold his breath while eating the local dish to appear polite to the restaurant owners.
"You take a bite out of it and it feels like something very old and dead in your mouth," he said.
And yes, there are a bunch of pictures in the CNN story. *double shudder*
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I too am shocked and appalled by this striking of my reptilian brethren (sisteren?)
This raises an interesting question: Does Grismer get to name the new species, or does the name on the menu take precedence?
Darwin actually discovered Rhea pennata during a lunch on the Beagle: see here.