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In an era marked by rising temperatures, insect declines, and a looming crisis for countless species, there are still stories of hope. One such narrative is that of the Victorian grassland earless dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla), a lizard once on the brink of disappearance that has since staged a dramatic resurgence.
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The Victorian grassland earless dragon is endemic to the natural temperate grasslands of southeast Australia. It sports a short, rounded head with a hidden outer ear covered in scales—a feature that sets it apart from other Australian dragons in the Agamidae family. The lizard can reach lengths of up to nearly 6 inches and displays a grey‑brown to red‑brown base color, punctuated by dark bands, blotches, and cream‑colored stripes along its back and sides.
Once abundant west of Melbourne, the species fell dramatically in the 20th century as urban expansion and habitat alteration took hold. Today, only about 1% of its original grassland remains, and invasive predators such as the introduced cat have compounded the pressure. By the 1970s, the dragon seemed doomed, with the last confirmed sighting in 1969.
Despite unconfirmed reports, surveys in 1988 and 1990 found nothing, and the species was widely considered extinct. A 2019 study in Royal Society Open Science split the grassland earless dragon into four distinct lineages, highlighting the possibility that the Victorian form had disappeared—though confirmation required a thorough exploration of all potential habitats.
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In 2023, the Victorian grassland earless dragon was listed as critically endangered under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. That same year, a survey of its former habitats yielded the first confirmed sighting in 65 years, on a privately owned grassland that had been earmarked for development. The discovery was announced by Victorian and federal authorities, but the precise location was withheld to safeguard the site.
Capitalizing on this breakthrough, the governments committed $188,000 to a detection‑dog trial aimed at locating additional individuals. The program proved effective, with dogs locating more than a dozen new lizards over the next two years. According to the Colossal Foundation—partnering with Zoos Victoria to launch a breeding program—39 wild individuals have been rediscovered, including 11 breeding pairs that have produced 81 hatchlings. An April 2025 Guardian report noted 13 individual dragons found since 2023.
While the species remains highly imperiled, the trajectory is now markedly more hopeful than it has been for decades.
