Hunt for Aussie animal not seen for 30 years: 'Rarest in the world'
The hunt is on for a rare lizard not seen in over 30 years. Found only in one part of regional Australia, residents are being asked to scour paddocks and roadsides for the specific conditions the Bathurst grassland earless dragon needs to survive.
'It hasn't been seen since the mid-90s, and it could be holding on in someone's back paddock without anyone knowing,' ecologist George Madani explained to Yahoo News.
'This species is perhaps one of the rarest reptiles, not just in Australia — but the world. It's on the cusp of extinction and if it's going to persist, we need to be able to find it so we can protect it.'
Of the four species of grassland earless dragon three are listed as critically endangered, and one is endangered. Madani heads up the Grassland Earless Dragon Alliance, a listed charity that advocates for their protection.
It had been thought the Victorian species was extinct as it hadn't been seen since the 1960s, but then in 2023, authorities confirmed with Yahoo News it had been rediscovered at a single site west of Melbourne. While it's possible the Bathurst species could be extinct, the rediscovery of the Victorian species renewed hope the Bathurst species might persist.
Related: Rare Aussie animal you can only see at one zoo
Working with the NSW Department of Environment's Saving our Species (SoS) program and the Central Tablelands Local Land Services, the Grassland Earless Dragon Alliance has put together an online questionnaire that contains five simple questions designed to ascertain whether dragons are living on properties. It's not just Bathurst itself that could harbour the species, but also the surrounding local government areas of Blayney and Oberon.
Less than 1 per cent of the southeastern Australian habitat the four species need for survival remains in good condition. So finding sites that could harbour the Bathurst species won't be an easy task.
'We're looking for natural temperate grassland and we're looking for habitat that hasn't been modified, so areas that haven't been ploughed or subject to lots of fertilising,' Madani explained.
'If there's any sort of small surface rock scattered through the paddocks, that's also good, because the dragons will use them. And these dragons co-occur with wolf spiders, which they rely on, because they utilise their burrows for shelter.'
Related: Fears for future of tiny lizard stalling construction of 310,000 new homes
While over-grazed land isn't ideal, paddocks with a few sheep in them are perfect. That's because they are able to keep the grass level low without denuding it completely.
'What we want landowners to know is if dragons have persisted on their property for that long, then clearly what they're doing is right. And we don't want them to change any of their practices,' Madani added.
'We want them to continue business as usual, and we might be able to learn from them.'
Landholders who discover dragons on their properties could be able to access extra government funding to undertake weed control and fencing. If you think your land could be home to the rare Bathurst species, you can fill out the questionnaire here.
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