Cool, a new species of Lizard has been discovered in Cambodia. What’s interesting about the lizard is that it’s completely blind and has no legs — it kind of resembles a slow worm, but is thought to have evolved to live in caves.
Scientists have discovered a new species of lizard in Cambodia, which has neither eyes nor legs.
Neang Thy, a zoologist with the Ministry of Environment in Cambodia and Fauna & Flora International (FFI), found the worm-like creature while he was exploring the Cardamom Mountains.
He noticed it when he overturned a log and managed to capture and examine it.
The blind reptile looks like a snake, but it is actually a lizard that has evolved to live underground – losing its legs to enable it to push through the soil by wriggling its body.
I guess it’s possibly that there could easily be more creatures like this out there — who knows, the Mongolian Deathworm just might be real!
We have a bright purple one here in Bahrain that you *very* occasionally find near the surface in the spring months (I’ve only ever seen two in 20 years), but it normally lives quite deep in the sand.
Not quite sure why it is of such bright colour, but I suppose if you are underground most of the time, you don’t really need to camouflage yourself.
Harry, thanks for your comment. Strange how we attribute colour to things, suspect the lizards don’t even know what colour they are.