Rare Limbless Lizard Discovered in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria

• Scientists discovered a rare limbless lizard, Lerista munuwajarlu, in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria, surprising researchers.
• The new species, a slider skink, was found by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and named using the Garrawa language, meaning 'no arm'.
• This Gulf Coastal Slider was found twice over a 10-year period in the Pungalina-Seven Emu Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Genetic analysis shows it's a distant relative of other skinks in Northern and Eastern Australia, with 98 Lerista species unique to the continent.
• Limited research in the Gulf of Carpentaria suggests much biodiversity remains undiscovered.

Why It Matters: A rare limbless skink, Lerista munuwajarlu, was discovered in Australia, highlighting Earth's undiscovered biodiversity.