Guardians of Scale: The Top 12 Rare Lizards Struggling to Survive

A silent drama is going on in the remote places of our planet, in forgotten deserts, on lonely islands and in forests lost in mist. Here are the fields of the most geographically isolated lizards of the planet, the archaic families and evolutionary phenomena that are now hanging by the slenderest of threads. Not animals they are living fossils, ecological knots and beautiful examples of the imaginative power of nature. However, they are disappearing even before we can get to know them properly.

The article is an adventure to these amazing creatures. It is a tribute to their struggle, a wake-up call to the dangers they endure and a triumph of the strength of life in all its scale and marvelous shapes. These are the 12 rare lizards that are struggling to survive.

1. The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

The Living Dragon of Indonesia

There is not much to be said about the Komodo Dragon. It is the undisputed king being the largest lizard on earth, over 10 feet long, and 150 pounds. But this giant killer is an Endangered species. It is only present on a few islands of Indonesia (Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar) and has an estimated population of only 1383 mature individuals.

Why It is So Low: They are too small, which makes them very vulnerable because of their limited habitat. One of their threats is habitat loss as a result of human encroachment, a reduction in their prey species (such as deer), and the looming specter of climate change which will reduce their coastal habitats as a result of rising sea levels. Their unstable position is also due to poaching of their prey and unlawful trade of wildlife.

2. The Guatemalan Beaded Lizard (Heloderma charlesbogerti)

The Jewel of the Dry Forest

One of the world’s few venomous lizards, and a relative of the Gila monster, the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard is critically endangered. Of an estimated population of under 500 in the wild, only a small forest valley high and dry in Guatemala is left. Its most beautiful feature is its striking black and yellow beaded skin, which is also the reason why it is being hunted in the illegal pet trade.

Why It Is Rare: Its survival is endangered by excessive habitat fragmentation caused by farming and human development. Local people also heavily persecute this lizard because of the long established yet unfounded beliefs that its venom is lethal. There is intense conservation around its remaining scraps of habitat and community education.

3. The Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura collei)

The Lazarus Lizard Back from the Dead

The Jamaican Iguana is a story of hope. Thought to have become extinct in the 1940s this wonderful, rhinoceros like reptile was discovered amazingly in 1990 in the remote Hellshire Hills. It has now become one of the most endangered lizards on earth.

Why It Is Rare: The first loss occurred due to the invasion of predators, such as mongooses, cats and dogs that destroy iguana nests and prey on juveniles. Charcoal production is still consuming the remaining habitat. Only intensive conservation management such as a head-start program on hatchlings has kept this species off a second, permanent extinction.

4. Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)

The Dragon of the Philippine Rivers

The Philippine Sailfin Lizard is a gorgeous water lizard and is often confused with a small dinosaur. Male ones have a fine sail-shaped crest on the tail, to show off and to keep them steady in the water. This is one of the main causes why it is one of the most attractive prey of the illegal pet trade, as it is now listed on the Endangered list.

Why It's Rare: One of the major factors that have contributed to its decline is rampant collecting to the exotic pet market. Moreover, its home river ecosystems are being contaminated, flooded and turned into farmland and settlements at an appalling pace. There is no way to protect the rivers of the Philippines without protecting this special lizard.

5. Egernia stokesii zellingi, the Gidgee Skink.

The Australian outback Social Lizard.

This is a sturdy, spiny-tailed skink, and a special reptile due to its highly intricate social habit. The Gidgee Skink is remarkably sophisticated in the reptile kingdom as, unlike most lizards living in the wild, the Gidgee Skink inhabits stable, family-groupings which share detailed rock crevice systems.

Why It is Rare: This species of Egernia, Egernia stokesii zellingi, is at risk of being harvested illegally to sell to the pet market because of its intelligence and unusual social organization. Also, mining and grazing of its livestock harms its dry rocky habitat by killing vegetation and making the significant rock crevices it inhabits unstable. It is highly susceptible to these pressures due to low rate of reproduction and reliance on particular and isolated rocky outcrops.

6. The Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)

A Living Fossil in Peril

This exceptional semi-aquatic lizard appears to have come out of the Jurassic era. It is a true evolutionary relic with its bony plates, crocodilian tail and curious play-dead behavior when threatened. It is threatened as it is found only in one fragmented region of the southern China and northern Vietnam.

And the reason why it is uncommon: This prehistoric-like animal is in demand in the pet trade. Worse still, hydroelectric dam projects, agricultural runoff, and deforestation are flooding its stream-side habitats, poisoning them, and destroying them. It is estimated that 90 percent of its population in China has been lost during the past 4 decades.

7. The Saint Croix Ameiva (Ameiva polops)

The Ghost of the Caribbean

This fast-moving smooth-bodied ground lizard was endemic to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was abundant at one time. Now it is dead on the main island, and only holds on two little, remote, offshore cays: Green and Protestant Cay. It is an endangered one.

Why It is Rare: The introduction of the Indian mongoose to St. Croix in the 19th century to get rid of rats was disastrous. The helpless Ameiva became the easy prey of the mongoose and the population was destroyed in an ideal case of unsuccessful biological control. It would have disappeared without the constant protection of its small, mongoose-free island refuges.

8. The Hidden Dragon: Voeltzkow’s Chameleon (Furcifer voeltzkowi)

Lost and Found

This chameleon is the mystery of rare lizards. Lost to science more than 100 years, there were no reported observations in the period between 1913 and its spectacular rediscovery in 2018 in northwestern Madagascar. It has one of the shortest life cycles, as it is alive only when it is raining, which is the reason why it is hard to find.

Why It’s Rare: Its survival is completely dependent on what happens to the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar that are being devastated at an unbelievable pace to make way to agricultural lands. Its population status is not yet clearly known as the habitat it occupies is severely fragmented and thus the species is at the risk of extinction.

9. The Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti)

A California Specialist

This strong scaly reptile is a master of camouflage, and fits into the granite boulder fields of southern California and the northern part of Baja California perfectly. It is not as imperiled internationally as others on this list, but it is a conservation-dependent species and an important component of its ecosystem.

Why It’s Rare: It is very specialized in its habitat need, which is its number one weakness. The cities, the roads, the energy projects, which excavate or otherwise disturb granite outcorns, ruin its home immediately. With further growth of human presence, the appropriate patches of granite habitats shrink and are increasingly separated, endangering local populations.

10. The Tarzan Chameleon (Calumma tarzan)

A Name in Vain

The Tarzan chameleon is critically endangered, and named after the well-known fictional figure to attract conservation efforts to its home environment. It lives in a small fragmented region of the rainforests of eastern Madagascar, where biodiversity is staggering and deforestation is destructive.

Why It's Rare: The most common threat is slash-and-burn rice-field agriculture (called "tavy") that converts its leafy forest habitat to barren grassland. The limited range and habitat requirements imply that even modest deforestation can destroy a large part of the world population. It represents the greater conservation crisis of Madagascar.

11. The Hierro Giant Lizard (Gallotia simonyi)

The Canary Island Giant

This huge, cannibalistic reptile struggles to survive on the rocky cliffs of the Canary Islands of El Hierro. When it became common it was hunted almost to extinction as a food source and out of superstition. This species was assumed dead until a small group was found in the 1970s.

Why It is Rare: The first cause was historical overexploitation. Feral cats and rats are the primary predators today feeding on eggs and the juveniles. It remains threatened at the moment but is being gradually, carefully reintroduced to the wild through captive breeding and reintroduction schemes, but with only a population of 300-400 in the wild, captive breeding has to continue.

12. The Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis)

The Australian Oddball Back from the Brink

This other Lazarus tale is a unique Australian skink which was declared dead in 1959, only to be rediscovered in 1992. On the one hand, being much smaller than its bigger, wandering bluetongue kinsmen, this small, 4-inch lizard is a sit-and-wait predator that spends its entire life in a single spider burrow.

Why It is Rare: Its natural grassland habitat was virtually destroyed when it was turned into farmland. It is highly vulnerable to ploughing which destroys its burrows and climate change that is transforming the fragile grassland ecosystem. The only way it can survive is by conserving the remaining sections of original grassland.

The Common Thread: Why Are So Many Lizards Vanishing?

The histories of these 12 unusual lizards are piteously alike. Their plight is not a thing in itself but an indicator of a biodiversity crisis in the world. The threats that they intercept are principally:

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: This is the sole threat that is the greatest. The specialized environments that these species call home are being destroyed and cut up by agriculture, urbanization, logging and mining.
• Introduced predators: Such as mongooses, cats, rats and goats are easy prey, having adapted without any defense against them.
• Illegal wildlife trade: this market demands exotic pets that are poached in high numbers, usually the most unique species.
• Climate Change: Climate change, increase in sea level, and other wildfire can destroy the habitats and disturbed the total ecological balance of these animals.

A Glimmer of Hope: The Fight for Survival

Each of these endangered lizards has their own conservationists, biologists and local people working on their behalf. Strategies include:

Protected Areas: This refers to the formation and conservation of national reserves and parks.

Captive Breeding and Reintroduction: Head-starting to increase the numbers of the wild animals.

Invasive Species Eradication: Removing non-native predators from islands.

Invading Species Removal: On exotic islands predators are killed.

How You Can Help

You do not have to be a biologist in order to do anything. To save the most endangered lizards on earth you can:

• Donating money to conservation organisations: Donate to conservation organisations such as IUCN, IRCF and local wildlife trusts.
• Being a Responsible Pet Owner: Do not buy an endangered or wild-captured animal. Never buy pets that have been captured on the streets.
• Sharing Awareness: Posting like this. The first thing that leads to action is knowledge.
• Going Green: This carbon footprint is making you sick and the only way you can contribute to this climate change and habitat destruction war is through sustainable farming.

And these small lizards are not words on a list, they are precious fibers on a gorgeous tapestry named life. Our own relationship with the natural world is measured by the fact that they are able to survive. We can contribute to preserving these scaled wonders by learning about their plight, and helping to preserve them so that they do not become a part of history, but instead live on to benefit future generations.