When it comes to lizards, there are over 4,500 species known at the moment with more being continually discovered. The most recent find involved three new species of wood lizards that were classified as new all at once. This is highly unusual and a great success for the scientific community.
New Species of Wood Lizards
Scientists were able to locate three new new species of wood lizards, as seen at Ecuador Travel, and they are referring to as “dwarf dragons” due to their dragon-like appearance. They were located in the Andes Mountains in the South American countries of Ecuador and Peru. These new species of wood lizards have been scientifically classified as Enyalioides altotambo, Enyalioides ansiolepis, and Enyalioides sophiarothschilda.
These lizards are also part of the iguana family as they are within the same classification. They are part of the Enyalioides family which includes other dwarf iguanas. This is a very unique find and it gives researchers hope that they through conservation efforts they will have the opportunity to make more discoveries like this in the future.
Wood Lizard Habitat and Conservation
These new species of wood lizards can be found in the mountainous rainforests of South America during an adventure travel trip. This can extend from Ecuador and Peru all the way up to Colombia and into Panama in some cases. They thrive in the humid environments of these luscious rainforests and will eat all manner of small insects and worms. They were located in the area that has been deemed central to the conservation efforts in the region.
The current conservation efforts that are being made to protect the vast wildlife of South America is being called the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, and it involves the cooperation of scientists and researchers from multiple countries within South America. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund has different groups all over the world that are contributing to the safety and prosperity of wildlife.
The current groups that are working in South America are working in the Atlantic Forest, the Tropical Andes, and the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena areas. It was the Tropical Andes team that located these elusive new species of wood lizards, as seen at Peru Wildlife.
Future of Lizards in South America
The future for both these new species of wood lizards and for the rest of the lizards in South America looks fairly bright at the moment. There are definitely changes that can be made to ensure that the beautiful rainforests that they live and thrive in are protected and that human pollution won’t infringe on their ability to grow in this region.
Even with the different obstacles that lie ahead, there is much hope from the scientific community. Conservation enthusiasts believe that as eco-friendly living habitats become more popular and the public becomes more aware of the vast array of wildlife in the region, that they will be more favorable to protecting it and coming for adventurous trips. They are looking forward to having the ability to work with the governments to create protected nature reserves that will ensure the prosperity of the vast variety of wildlife in this amazing part of the world for generations to come.
A look at South America from the point of view of a group of friends traveling around South America to experience its culture and people:
