Scientist Discover New Lizard Species: Dwarf Dragons
Source: capitalotc.com
Scientists have discovered three new species of dragon-like lizards in the Andes, South America. The newly discovered species of wood-lizards are called Enyalioides anisolepis, Enyalioides sophiarothschildae and Enyalioides altotambo. The region in which the lizards were discovered was described as being an epicenter of biodiversity by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, a conservation group. The area has 20.000 plants who have not been met anywhere else. In addition the researchers discovered around 1.500 incredible terrestrial vertebrates, including amphibians and birds. It seems that dwarf dragons are populating the forests in more varieties than scientist have previously thought.
Researchers from Peru (Pablo J. Venegas) and Ecuador (Omar Torres-Carvajal ) with the help of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, represented by Kevin de Queiroz, were the ones who discovered the new species in the Tropical Andes. The new species are different from their relatives regarding color and scale arrange. The uniqueness of the species was proved by a DNA analysis.
The newly discovered wood lizards are rough-scaled and have the traditional features of a dragon. They have much in common with the mythological creatures except the fact that they are tiny.
The study authors noted that in the most recent discoveries 40% of the species of wood lizards were discovered only in the last 7 years. This indicates that the terrain of the Andean cloud forests was poorly explored in the past. The researchers were in fact surprised that they had found the dwarf dragons in such a condensed region since the lizards are hard to pass unnoticed owing to their bright coloration.
Dr. Torres-Carvajal said that the first time they worked with lizards was in 2006 and only seven species were known then. In fact they were considered to be among the less varied species of South American lizards. However, the doctor added that, in recent years the number of wood lizard species has doubled. It seems that scientist have underestimated the diversity of these reptiles.
Carvaja also said that funding and conservation agencies should be notified about the fact that in recent years researchers have discovered more than a half of the variety of a group consisting of large, dragon-looking lizards from South America.
These finding make scientist think about all the other undiscovered species which are waiting to be found, but they also make them wonder how many will vanish before they get to discover them.
Image Source: Smithsonian Science
Source: capitalotc.com
