Australian earless dragon last seen in 1969 rediscovered in secret location


June 25, 2023

Victorian grassland earless dragon was once common west of Melbourne but numbers declined due to habitat loss and predators such as feral cats

A tiny earless dragon feared to be extinct in the wild has been sighted for the first time in more than 50 years – at a location that is being kept secret to help preservation efforts.

The Victorian grassland earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla, has now been rediscovered in the state, according to a joint statement issued by the Victorian and federal Labor governments on Sunday.

The last confirmed sighting of the dragon was in the Geelong area in 1969. Once commonly found in native grasslands west of Melbourne, the reptile’s numbers declined due to habitat degradation and fragmentation, inappropriate livestock grazing, and predators such as feral cats.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ecret-location