Lizards are among the most interesting and diverse species in the animal kingdom. So far, more than 6000 different kinds of lizards have been identified by reptile research specialists and they are found all over the world. Many of those kinds are called dragons due to their characteristic similarity of skin, claws, and mesmerizing eyes.
A particularly rare kind of lizard originating in Borneo, namely the Borneo earless monitor lizard, is known to be herpetologists' ultimate mystery case as almost nothing is known about them.
The earless monitor lizard is known to be first discovered back in 1877. Since then, collectors and scientists have been able to capture and study fewer than 100 of them, as they only are active at night.
They are the only species in their family - Lanthanotidae, and their official name, Lanthanotus borneensis, means literally "hidden ear from Borneo," in Latin, due to their lack of external ear openings. Yet, their hearing is excellent.
The Borneo earless monitor lizard is an fantastic swimmer with an average of 50cm body in length, short but strong limbs and relatively large hands. Many have pointed how those creatures resemble mini dragons or dinosaurs. Their skin is distinct for its thick and pointed ridges that go up to their eyes. Their natural habitat is particularly humid and moist and they mainly live in lowland rainforests close to rivers.
Given the fact that their populations are low, those lizards are exceptionally rare but are at the same time endangered of going extinct due to illegal wildlife trade practices. Collectors of these beautiful creatures are found especially in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Ukraine, as well as, Japan and pair of them costs approximately €5,000.
In addition, these nocturnal creatures are very sensitive to temperature changes and need a level of 6-28 degrees Celsius (79-82°F) to survive. They are part of the European breeding programme and The Prague Zoo which is a member of the programme announced the birth of 5 earless monitor lizards last year.
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