Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Philippines, Apr 7, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Deep in the forests of Northern Philippines, a new species of lizard has been discovered. The reptile has been categorized as a variant of the Monitor Lizards. The animal is quite secretive in nature and it rarely comes out in the open from the forest as it has been reported. This is the main reason it was not traced earlier. It is brightly colored but the green body tends to get camouflaged by leaves and plants. It is related to the fearsome Komodo dragon but the main difference is that it is not carnivorous in nature. The newly found lizard feasts on plants and fruits and does not attack animals.

The animal can be up to two meters in length. The lizard was seen in Philippines’s northern Luzon Island. It is often hunted by the locals who like to eat its meat and that is why it is nearing extinction as animal researchers have cautioned. The scientists who discovered it said that it is a spectacular animal. The body color of the animal is largely green with dashes of yellow and blue also thrown in. Fruit eating monitor lizards do not have many species.

The scientists have expressed wonder that such a striking animal was not spotted earlier by anyone. The discovery points to the fact once again that there are still many unknown species of reptiles in the remote forests of the tropical region and Asia. They are heading towards extinction for loss of habitat and rampant killing by humans in most of the cases. This lizard is an important discovery for the biologists.