New species of lizard that has no eyes or legs discovered in Cambodia



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.

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.