A new species of lizard that has no eyes or legs has been discovered by scientists in Cambodia.
The small worm-like creature was found by researcher Neang Thy when he turned over a log in the Cardamom Mountains.
The reptile tried to flee from the sudden light, but Dr Thy noticed its peculiar attributes and swiftly took a photo of it.
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| Dibamus dalaiensis: A new species of lizard that has no eyes or legs has been discovered in Cambodia |
It has now been officially identified as a new species and named the
Dalai Mountain blind lizard - Dibamus dalaiensis - after the mountain on
which it was found.
Dr Thy, who works for conservation charity
Fauna and Flora Interational (FFI), said: 'At first I thought it was a
common species, but looking closer I realised it was something I didn't
recognise.'
These cryptic species of reptile are easily overlooked
and previous to this discovery there is no record of a blind lizard in
Cambodia.
Recent surveys in Cambodia have resulted in a wealth of
unusual new species, ranging from carnivorous plants to a green-bloodied
frog.
Dr Jenny Daltry, senior conservation biologist with FFI, said it had taken a year to make sure the reptile was a new species.
'This
latest find is particularly remarkable, because it is not only a new
species, but also the first reptile to be both discovered and formally
described in a scientific journal by a Cambodian national,' she said.
The
lizard looks like a snake and has evolved to live underground so it has
lost its legs to enable it to push through the soil by wriggling its
body.
Other legless lizards include the slow worm in Britain.
Most snakes only have one lung and forked tongues, but lizards have two lungs.
The research has been published in the journal Zootaxa.
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