Just-found lizard species said threatened

PERTH, Australia, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Australian researchers say a new species of lizard discovered along the country's west coast is already in decline, the victim of increasing urban sprawl.

The coasting plains skink, Ctenotus ora, lives in the sand dunes along the Swan Coastal Plain, a stretch of coastline just south of Perth where an expansion of residential developments is encroaching on natural habitats, LiveScience reported Monday.

"Although it's a fantastic discovery, it's poor cause for celebration," Geoffrey Kay of the Australian National University said in a statement. "Our new lizard is under serious risk of being erased just as suddenly as it appeared to us.

"Only a few of these lizards have ever been found in the wild, so while we know numbers are low, we are not sure of the exact size of the remaining population."

The skink, less than 3 inches long, lives in an area of Australia considered to be one of the top biodiversity hot spots in the world, but growth in the Perth area is seen as a threat to many forms of wildlife.

"Developments along the coastline near Perth need to consider this new lizard and potentially a large number of other species yet to be discovered in this diverse part of the world," Kay said.