New two-toned lizard species named for David Attenborough

This lizard isn't afraid to show its true colors.

Researchers have discovered a vibrant new species of flat lizard that is half blue and half yellow. They named the new lizard Platysaurus attenboroughi, after broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough. Attenborough is known for his BBC series "Life," which covered different aspects of natural history.

"We thought it fitting the lizard be named after the world-famous naturalist after he made famous a closely related flat lizard species in the BBC series 'Life in Cold Blood,'" said Dr. Martin Whiting, a researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia who led the research team.

Whiting spent time with Sir Attenborough at Augrabies Falls National Park in South Africa, where the BBC filmed Augrabies flat lizards.

Flat lizards, known for their bold colors, belong to a lizard family found only in Africa.

"We realized there were more species than currently described and there was a real need to uncover or build a 'family tree' for flat lizards," Whiting said.