There's not enough mainstream lizard action out there -- with the very likely exception of the Geico gecko. No off-leash Komodo dragon parks; no iguana reality shows. Considering that dogs can't regenerate lost limbs and cats don't change colors in response to the environment, it seems lizards deserve a little more time in the public eye. And that's exactly what they're getting -- many millions of years later -- at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus.

Last week, the museum installed a 145-million-year-old ichthyosaur ("fish reptile") fossil. At 21-feet long, that's a lizard! Living in the time of the dinosaurs, these impressive marine reptiles breathed air like whales and gave birth to live young. Ichthy joins another recent fossil addition, a giant aquatic lizard called a mosasaur from 85 million years ago. To some minds, fossil form is the ideal option for lizard appreciation.

Watch a video clip of the installation and learn a little more behind-the-scenes detail at the Burke Museum blog.

From dogsledding in Fairbanks to tracking down lost pups with a pet detective in Fresno, Pet Dish blogger Lisa Wogan explores the world of dogs and their people for Bark magazine, and in books such as Unleashed: Climbing Canines, Hiking Hounds, Fishing Fidos, and Other Daring Dogs . She lives in Seattle with two dogs, Lulu and Renzo.

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