A “Super Lemon Frost” leopard gecko, carrying two versions of the mutated SPINT1 gene, and displaying exaggerated Lemon Frost features. Guo et al./PLOS Genetics 2021/Steve Sykes.

After purchasing a Lemon Frost gecko named Mr. Frosty at a reptile auction, Sykes had bred Mr. Frosty with various female leopard geckos to establish a colony of more than 900 lizards.

The leopard gecko is also unusual in that it can regenerate its tail if it is cut off following a physical attack by a predator. Regardless of the lizard's age, this new tail always grows back ...