Greek island overrun by cannibal lizards

The island of Skyros, Greece. Image by Kostas Limitsios / CC BY 2.0

The tiny Greek island of Diavates, four kilometers away from the more famous Skyros in the Aegean Sea, is fertile ground for large cannibal lizards. Adults from the Skyros wall lizard species grow up to three times their normal weight, and cannibalising youngsters is not uncommon. According to research, Diavates lizards are 20 times more likely to attack and eat the juveniles than lizards on Skyros. The island of Skyros itself has enough snakes, mammals and birds to keep lizard numbers down. Read more: newscientist.com