Kangaroo lizard species discovered in Western Ghats

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/scientists-discover-new-kangaroo-lizard-species-from-western-ghats/article67792494.ece

• The new species Agasthyagama edge or the northern kangaroo lizard belongs to the Agamidae family.

• It was named after the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered of Existence (EDGE) program through the Zoological Society of London.

• The new species was discovered  from the southern Western Ghats at Kulamavu in Idukki.

• The species is the second one of the Agasthyagama genus after A. beddomii or Indian kangaroo lizard that has been previously reported from Sivagiri hills in Tamil Nadu.

• It has a reduced fifth toe which makes these reptiles poor climbers and hence do not climb trees like other lizards.

They are mostly terrestrial and found in areas with dense leaf litter cover.