California biologists have discovered a new species of legless lizard and the discovery was made at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) of all places.
The shy species led researches to search the area where they discovered not one, but three types of the lizards.
The lizard was first discovered at the end of a runaway at LAX, and that discovery led to scientific research.
Discovering a new species is special enough, but finding a lizard living in the inhospitable environment of an airport is even more special.
Legless lizards appear to thrive in hard-living environments such as a vacant lot in Bakersfield and the lower San Joaquin Valley. They have also been found living in the margins of the Mojave desert.
The new legless lizard species is documented in Breviora , a publication of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.
According to Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology amphibian and reptile expert Theodore Papenfuss:
“This shows that there is a lot of undocumented biodiversity within California… These are animals that have existed in the San Joaquin Valley, separate from any other species, for millions of years, completely unknown.”
Legless lizards look a lot like snakes but are distinguished by their eyelids, external ear openings, lack of broad belly scales, and/or a very long tail.
There are currently more than 200 legless lizards species around the world. They live best in loose soil.
According to Papenfuss, lizards on five continents lost their limbs millions of years ago so they could more easily burrow into sand and soil.
Would you like to own your very own legless lizard?