Rare Gracile Two-lined Dragon observed lazing around Mornington

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) ecologists at Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary on Bunuba Country in the Kimberley, stumbled across a unique Gracile Two-lined Dragon last month, one of Australia’s rarest reptiles with just a handful of recorded sightings.

The team was enjoying a casual afternoon stroll when they encountered the elongated individual with a lengthy tail and long limbs. It was observed at one of the local rocky ranges, an interesting location given that the only existing habitat description for the species states that it is “a grassland specialist, occupying savannah grasslands on clay soils associated with floodplains”.

Joe Porter/AWC

“It is indeed an interesting sighting,” explained Joe Porter, one of the AWC Field Ecologists involved in the sighting. “And it reveals how little we know about this species.”

Joe continued, describing the moment of discovery as “exciting” and an opportunity to learn more about the mysterious creature.

Joe Porter/AWC

“Everyone was very excited to find this species as they are quite cryptic and not commonly observed,” he explained. “They’re known from just a few locations and there has been just a handful of recorded sightings in these areas.”

Although extremely hard to come by, the few encounters AWC ecologists have had with the Gracile Two-lined Dragon at Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary contributed to the species formally being described in 2019.