‘James Bond forest lizard’ leaves scientists both shaken and stirred

The name is Bond. James Bond.

Or, to be technical about it, Celestus jamesbondi. Also known, colloquially, as the James Bond forest lizard.

The Jamaican reptile named for Britain’s fictitious martini-sipping spy is one of 35 newly recognized lizard species native to the Caribbean. And though the James Bond forest lizard appears abundant at the moment, a number of the other species face the specter of extinction.

“They’re disappearing, and they live in the same habitat as many other species, so it’s kind of like a canary in a coal mine,” Temple University evolutionary biologist S. Blair Hedges said in an interview. “That indicates that there’s trouble with the environment across many islands.”