The French Polynesian legend of how "yellow lizard island" got its name is an odd one. The yellow lizard was the child of a Tahitian couple, which they abandoned on an island when it reached such size that the mother feared he might eat them. Heartbroken upon realising he had been abandoned, Mo'orea threw himself into the ocean, to the mercies of the currents. His body washed ashore and was found by fisherman, who ran screaming to the village screaming "yellow lizard!".
