Recent sightings of a legless lizard that had not been spotted for 111 years have renewed hopes for the threatened species.


Bronzeback legless lizards. (Harald Ehmann, Arid Lands Natural Resource Mangement Board)


The bronzeback snake lizard, which grows to about 25 centimetres, had not been seen since 1897 until it was rediscovered in 2007 during a plant survey in the Finke region of Central Australia.

"Following the rediscovery, more detailed surveys have been carried out and the lizard has been observed at a number of sites along the Northern Territory/South Australia border," said Dr Chris Pavey, a senior scientist from the Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources.

"Ongoing surveys have helped us gain an understanding of their habitat requirements and threats facing them."

Dr Pavey says the lizards live in thick leaf litter along temporary watercourses.

"We've found a suite of other lizard species that occur in these litter mats along with the bronzeback, so we know if we look after that environment, there's actually a suite of species we'll be looking after.

"In conservation terms, when there's limited resources around, to be able to find a species that in a way is a bit of a flagship for other species is always a really good thing."