Seemingly vanished forever, this strange reptile has reappeared in Australia after half a century.
Dragons have always been associated with majesty, strength, and mystery, and most people believe they only exist in mythological tales or fictional stories. However, in reality, there is a creature on Earth referred to as a dragon, although its appearance is quite different from the dragons we typically imagine.
This animal is known as the “grassland earless dragon”, scientifically named Tympanocryptis pinguicolla (abbreviated as T. pinguicolla). These rare creatures are referred to as “dragons.” The name has gained popularity since they were listed as endangered, aimed at increasing public awareness of a species on the brink of extinction.
The species T. pinguicolla resembles a lizard, lacks wings, is about 15 cm long, and inhabits low grasslands. They are called “earless dragons” because they do not have external ear openings. Due to the severe destruction of their habitat, the last sighting of T. pinguicolla was 50 years ago.
The earless dragon Tympanocryptis pinguicolla.
Tympanocryptis comprises 4 species, including T. lineata, T. pinguicolla, T. osbornei, and T. mccartneyi, which are separated by hundreds of kilometers. The earless dragon in the image belongs to the subspecies T. pinguicolla, which was once native to Melbourne.
Previously, all four species were grouped together because they were difficult to distinguish. It was only when experts from the Victoria Museum used DNA and X-ray evidence that we could identify them as different subspecies. Their similarities delayed the recognition that a branch of this dragon species had disappeared.
The species T. pinguicolla is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 2019 study suggested that T. pinguicolla might have gone extinct, as most of their habitat had been destroyed, with the last sighting of this species occurring in 1969 near Geelong, Australia. This also marks it as the first known extinct reptile on the Australian mainland in modern times.
Tympanocryptis pinguicolla is currently listed as an Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
In January 2023, two ecologists, Emi Arnold and Pat Monarch, visited Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne, Australia, to inspect an artificial habitat created to protect small wildlife. While examining under one of the terracotta tiles, they discovered an earless reptile. Suspecting that the creature they had just found was the extinct grassland earless dragon of Victoria, the duo immediately contacted colleagues and experts in the field.
In June 2023, the rediscovery of the species T. pinguicolla was announced, confirming its existence after months of field research. Currently, this reptile is being included in a regeneration program at the Melbourne Zoo.
Colossal Biosciences and the zoo in Victoria, Australia, subsequently initiated a conservation project in October 2023 to preserve this species, as well as to sequence its genome. The Victoria Zoo is now leading efforts to rescue this species from the brink of extinction and off the list of critically endangered species.
Additionally, the Victoria Zoo is training a team of detection dogs to search for dragons at the site where T. pinguicolla was found and other locations in western Melbourne. They hope to continue discovering more previously thought extinct species, as in recent decades, Australia has recorded the extinction of numerous animal species, with rates significantly higher than those of other continents. At least 29 mammal species have vanished due to habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate change.
Garry Peterson, the Director of Threatened Species at the Victoria Zoo, stated: “We are all truly shocked. This is a highlight of my career when a species thought to be extinct reappears. It’s amazing because I may never experience such a feeling again.”
