4 new species of legless lizards found in Calif.

4 new species of legless lizards found in Calif.

(UC Berkeley)


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Scientists in California have discovered four new and separate species of legless lizards — snakelike animals that burrow into sand or soil.

The University of California, Berkeley says the discovery was made by its reptile and amphibian expert Theodore Papenfuss, along with James Parham of California State University, Fullerton.

Until the discovery, scientists believed there was only one species of legless lizard in the American West.

They spent years scouring the state for the reclusive legless lizards. They found the new species at the end of a runway at Los Angeles International Airport, in a vacant lot in downtown Bakersfield, on the edge of the Mojave Desert and among oil derricks in the lower San Joaquin Valley.

The biologists are trying to determine whether the lizards need protected status.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Photos

Most recent Features stories

Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast