Striped legless lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Striped legless lizard |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Delma
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| Species: |
impar
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The striped legless lizard (Delma impar) is a special type of lizard found only in Australia. It belongs to a family called Pygopodidae. Sadly, this lizard is in danger of disappearing forever. By 2015, it had very few places left to live.
About the Striped Legless Lizard
This lizard can grow up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long. It looks a lot like a snake, and people sometimes mistake it for a dangerous brown snake. But don't worry, it's not a snake! The striped legless lizard is actually more closely related to geckos and skinks.
It has tiny, leftover legs that are hard to see. Its tongue is not forked like a snake's. Most of its body is a long tail that it cannot drop off, unlike some other lizards.
Where Do They Live?
In the past, striped legless lizards lived in many grassy areas across Australia. You could find them in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), parts of New South Wales, central and southern Victoria, and the south-eastern part of South Australia.
Over time, the places where these lizards live have shrunk. Many areas that once had them no longer do. This is because their homes have been broken up into smaller, separate pieces. This makes it hard for different groups of lizards to find each other.
Helping the Lizards
One important place where these lizards live is in Canberra. This area was planned for new buildings in 2015 and 2016. This would have destroyed most of the small animals living there.
To help, people came up with a clever idea. Before construction started, they used roofing tiles as "heat bait." Lizards like to warm up under these tiles. When the lizards were found, they were carefully caught. The plan was to study them, track them, and move them to a new, safe home. This new home is about 75 kilometers (47 miles) away.
