News / Youtube

Rare lizard successfully bred in Australia zoo

Friday, 11 March 2016 4:10 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 11 March 2016 4:09 PM ]

Zoos South Australia has successfully bred one of Australia’s rarest reptiles

A very rare type of lizard, once thought to be extinct, has now been born in a Zoo just outside Adelaide in South Australia.

Monarto Zoo is the first to breed the native species in captivity, which is a major contribution towards the conservation of the lizard, once thought to be extinct and today found only in a small part of South Australia.

Only a few thousand are thought to live between Kapunda and Peterborough in the Mid North and the species’ scientific name is Tiliqua adelaidensis. Habitat change caused by farming is thought to be the reason for its struggle to survive.

The first baby blue-tongue was discovered at the zoo on Australia Day and since then five of its eight female lizards have given birth, producing four litters of three young and one pair of twins.

A pygmy blue-tongue lizard emerges from its burrow at Monarto Zoo's special breeding facility.

Pygmy Blue-tongue lizards are tiny lizards of the blue-tongue family which get 18 centimeters long and despite their name, their tongue is pink. Since they prefer to live underground, researchers thought for almost 30 years that they were extinct. In 1992 the body of a pygmy blue-tongue was found inside a dead snake. It made researchers realize there is still a small population in South Australia. Finally, after a long-term conservation project, 14 of the species were born in the zoo and are hand-fed every day.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk