Rare earless dragon seen for first time in decades in Australia. ‘Story of the year’

A reptile species that eluded Australian researchers for more than 50 years has been rediscovered, but its location is being kept under wraps.

Australian officials announced Sunday, June 25, the rediscovery of the Victorian grassland earless dragon, which had gone unseen since 1969. The population was found in grasslands west of Melbourne.

The earless dragon, according to the Australian government, was the most at-risk lizard and snake species in the country. It was considered critically endangered.

If it went extinct, it would have been the first reptile species to have been lost in mainland Australia, Dr. Jane Melville said in 2019.

The 6-inch long reptile earned its name “because it lacks an ear opening and a functional ear drum,” the Yale School of the Environment said. Its numbers declined due to the loss of its habitat and because of predators like foxes and cats, government officials said.

Government officials are working with Zoos Victoria to ensure the recovery of the species. This means they cannot reveal the location of the reptile to protect its habitat.

Melville, the senior curator of reptiles and frogs at Museums Victoria, never gave up hope the species would be found again. She called the rediscovery “one of the best moments in my career.”

Government and zoo officials will use detection dogs to sniff out additional dragons. Then, a breeding program will be initiated to ensure the survival of the species.

Researchers believe they need at least six “independent, self-sustaining populations” for the species to survive another half-century.

“The dragon’s long-term fate depends on managing the site where it was found and any areas nearby where dragons are living,” researchers said in an article in The Conversation. “We also need substantial new areas of suitable plains grasslands as conservation reserves where captive-bred animals can be released.”

Dr. Marissa Parrott, a reproductive biologist at Zoos Victoria, referred to the rediscovery as the “story of the year.”

“Rediscovered & the focus of a huge effort, the tiny Victorian grassland earless dragon may be the world’s most endangered lizard,” Parrott said.

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