‘Dragon’-like northern kangaroo lizard discovered in India

It turns out dragons are much smaller than we imagined.

A new species of super tiny lizards was discovered crawling through the streets of India, which scientists described as a “diminutive dragon.”

Although the Agasthyagama edge — or the northern kangaroo lizard — looks like the scaly, fire-breathing beasts of lore, the lizards are nothing more than an evasive creative that has evaded human sight for centuries, according to a paper published Thursday in Vertebrate Zoology.

Scientists first noticed the northern kangaroo lizards in 2017 while perusing a forest patch near a bus stop in the Idukki District, a known biodiversity hotspot.

The tiny reptiles had a noticeably distinct streak of red and gold color surrounded by blue scales along their throat that wasn’t common in other known species.

The rest of their bodies are more monotone, with males exhibiting a tannish body with a pink stripe along its back and a bright orange patch on its tail. Females are more red in color, but with tiny, black dots on its spine.

All of the northern kangaroo lizards, however, have trademark “strong” claws and pointed snouts, along with “moderately large” heads and a “reduced fifth toe” that makes them poor climbers.

The tiny creature is considered “small-sized,” reaching just 4.3 inches in length between its “pointed” snout and “long” tail.

“We describe a diminutive dragon,” Veerappan Deepak, the study’s lead co-author, said on X.

The northern kangaroo lizard is related to other known reptile species, but has some distinct differences, including a “reduced fifth toe” that makes them poor climbers.

While other reptiles evolved to lose the toe, the northern kangaroo lizard learned how to stand upright and run on two legs.

Researchers named the new, scaly reptiles after the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered of Existence program through the Zoological Society of London.

“EDGE is doing so much supporting early career conservationists across the globe. Its an inspiration and a big motivation for many. And some of our first encounters with this species were while doing during field work for the EDGE project on the Purple Frog,” said co-author Sandeep Das.

So far, the dragon-esque creatures have only been seen in the Idukki district, which is about 1,300 miles south of New Delhi.

Researchers think the animal may have been seen by locals for centuries, but never properly documented by scientists simply due to a lack of “comprehensive and focused sampling in some areas of the Western Ghats.”