Tag archives for Cambodia
Posted by Is that a snake? Not quite! It’s a newly-discovered species of legless lizard. This is the first legless lizard to be discovered in Southeast Asia, but there are about 200 species of legless lizards found around the world. Although they look like snakes, these animals have external ears like other lizards. Scientists think that snakes evolved from legless lizards.
This lizard is also blind and probably doesn’t need to see since they live underground. Legs and eyes “are simply a waste of energy when you’re working your way through underground tunnels,” says biologist Jenny Daltry of Fauna & Flora International.
Read more about the legless lizards on National Geographic News.
Get the facts on reptiles and other animals on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Thy Neang et al, Zootaxa/Flora & Fauna International
The wild tiger population in Asia’s Mekong River region has dropped by 70 percent in just over a decade, from 1,200 tigers to only about 350 remaining, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Poachers are hunting the tigers for use in traditional medicine.
This year, 2010, is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac. Later this month,
ministers from 13 tiger range countries will meet in Thailand for a
conference on tiger conservation. It’s hoped the governments will agree
on future needs in protecting this big cat from extinction.
Read more about the tigers on National Geographic News.
Learn about the Big Cats Initiative.
Luke Dollar is trying to save big cats. Read an Interview With Luke Dollar.
