129 year declared extinct, lizard native to the island of Sumatra was again found

Good news again comes from Indonesia's wildlife. Sumatran island endemic lizards have been found again after being thought extinct. A lizard named latin Harpesaurus modiglianii re-discovered by researchers after approx 129 invisible year. The lizard is also known as the Horn-nosed Lizard (nose-horned lizard). The discovery was made by a combination of researchers from Indonesia and several foreign researchers in the forest area around Lake Toba. According to modern records, a single specimen of this strange-nosed lizard was first discovered in North Sumatra in 1891, then described by scientists in 1933. After that, for decades in the world of science, H. modigliani never appeared or found. No wonder, experts think this lizard is extinct.

The rediscovery of this species is the first recorded since the species was last described by Vinciguerra (1933). This species is found in upland forest habitats with a height of 1.675 masl. Unfortunately the location of the discovery of this species is starting to be damaged and threatens the survival of this beautiful animal hewan. The area around the habitat of this animal is starting to be cut down a lot for land clearing (Clearcutting).

Menurut A.A Thasun Amarasinghe (herpet taxonomy expert from the Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia/RCCC UI) one of the team members who helped rediscover this animal, there needs to be an effort to protect the area that is the lizard’s habitat. Thasun berharap, local government can provide protection for H . habitat. modiglianii so that the lizard can still be protected and not extinct. The results of the research findings have been published in the journal TAPROBANICA, dengan judul ”Rediscovery of Modigliani’s nose-horned lizard, Harpesaurus modiglianii Vinciguerra, 1933 (reptile: Agamidae) after 129 years without any observation” which was published in May of this year 2020 this. In the journal, it is known that this beautiful lizard has a characteristic that distinguishes it from other Harpesaurs, namely its sharp and thin nose resembling a horn.. Bulky tail base, the scales on the area post cloacal small, pointed, and smooth while the ventral scales on the tail have an enlarged shape with very faded color. The tail scales on the dorsal side are a little soft, overlap, pointing straight back, and has an indentation to form a parallel back. H. modiglianii What Thasun and his team found was green with “hard” on the back is yellowish. Only the male individual has horns around his head while the female does not.

Indonesia is a vast country, It is not impossible that other types that have been considered lost can be found again. Even the discovery of a new kind is not impossible. But the change in the function of the forest into a plantation area, mine, and housing is one of the threats to the existence of existing biodiversity. Hopefully the development carried out can always be in harmony with the existing environmental sustainability.

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