The accidental discovery happened in 2006 during an expedition east of Australia.
A reptile specialist at France's National Museum of Natural History, says he first noticed a tiny lizard carcass accidentally hacked in half by one of the expedition climbers.
Climbers then harvested a plant with nine minuscule eggs. Researcher Ivan Ineich wrapped them in wet tissue, packed them into a pillbox and carried them 12,000 miles to the French capital.
There, he gave the eggs to a friend who raises lizards as a hobby. Eight of the nine babies died because of a power failure in their terrarium.
The museum says it's the first time a new lizard species has been catalogued based on an individual raised from an egg.
