- Feb 5, 2002
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Last sighted in 1969, a tiny lizard from the Australian state of Queensland has been rediscovered by scientists who now hope to act fast to ascertain its numbers.
Not all dragons can be fearsome firebreathers. Indeed, the Victorian grassland earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla, is just 15 centimeters long (6 inches).
Once commonly found in grasslands west of Melbourne, the little drake diminished at the paws of invasive predators like foxes and cats, and potentially from the fragmentation of habitat.
Considerable effort had been made to locate one of these tiny animals, though they never succeeded. Zoos Victoria, a coalition of zoos in Victoria state that runs many conservation programs, took up the hunt in 2017.
“The extraordinary rediscovery of this critically endangered and cryptic lizard inspires optimism for the recovery of this Victorian species,” said Dr. Jenny Gray, Zoos Victoria’s chief executive.
Continued below.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
Not all dragons can be fearsome firebreathers. Indeed, the Victorian grassland earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla, is just 15 centimeters long (6 inches).
Once commonly found in grasslands west of Melbourne, the little drake diminished at the paws of invasive predators like foxes and cats, and potentially from the fragmentation of habitat.
Considerable effort had been made to locate one of these tiny animals, though they never succeeded. Zoos Victoria, a coalition of zoos in Victoria state that runs many conservation programs, took up the hunt in 2017.
“The extraordinary rediscovery of this critically endangered and cryptic lizard inspires optimism for the recovery of this Victorian species,” said Dr. Jenny Gray, Zoos Victoria’s chief executive.
Continued below.
Earless Dragon Feared Extinct is Rediscovered After 50 Years in Australia
Last sighted in 1969, a tiny lizard from Queensland has been rediscovered by scientists who now hope to act fast to ascertain its numbers.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
