After being missing for 50 years, researchers have found a tiny earless dragon lizard that was thought to be extinct. This species, known as the Victorian grassland earless dragon, is native to the grasslands of eastern Australia. The last time it was seen in the wild was in 1969.
The number of these dragons went down a lot because they lost their homes and had predators like foxes and feral cats. People who protect animals were worried they might disappear forever. They tried hard to find them before but couldn’t. Now, they found a few of them. But they’re not telling where to keep them safe.
“This discovery is incredible and gives us a chance to save a species we thought was gone forever,” said Ingrid Stitt, who works for the environment in Victoria.
“We’ll keep working with others to stop this lizard from disappearing forever, so people in the future can see and know about this special animal.”
What is the Victorian grassland earless dragon?
Australia has more than 70 kinds of dragon lizards.
Dragons are small lizards that look like the ones in stories, but real. They’re found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Some also live in Southern Europe.
The Victorian grassland earless dragon is tiny, only about 15cm long from head to tail, and doesn’t have an outside ear hole.
Now that scientists have found these lizards again, they want to make sure they don’t disappear.
The governments in Australia are going to spend AUD$188,000 (€113,000) to train dogs to find more dragon lizards.
Zoos Victoria is creating a special program to breed these lizards and make sure they don’t die out.
The lizard is in danger of disappearing forever. It’s listed as critically endangered under two important laws in Australia.
What other ‘extinct’ species have been rediscovered?
The earless dragon isn’t the only species to be found after being thought extinct.
Many other species have been rediscovered after not being seen for many years. For example, in 2019, scientists found a rare giant tortoise species that hadn’t been seen since 1906.
In 2022, scientists confirmed that a tortoise found on the Galápagos Islands was a chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the ‘fantastic giant tortoise’.
In 2019, researchers found the Wallace’s Giant Bee for the first time in 40 years. It’s an impressive 4.5cm long, making it the world’s largest bee.
Also in 2019, scientists rediscovered the cute Silver-backed Chevrotain, also called the deer mouse.
