Help us protect Victoria's unique wildlife
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The Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon
Unseen for more than 50 years across the volcanic plains it calls home. It sounds like the plot of a fairytale; however, the reality of this story is far more magical.
Since the 1980s, a dedicated team of conservation ecologists have sought to learn about and conserve the native fauna of south-eastern Australia. While doing this, one or two animals took on an almost mystical aura; species that many thought were probably lost, but maybe – just maybe – might be hanging on in some little pocket of habitat.
The Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon was one of these species.
Rediscovery is only the first step. Help us write a new ending for Victorian threatened species.
The rediscovery of the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon in January 2023 prompted several immediate actions to ensure the survival of this species. Melbourne Zoo reptile keepers, fresh from a remarkably successful breeding program with the closely related Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon, were mobilised.
The elusive species was brought to Melbourne Zoo to a bio-secure breeding centre where the discovered dragons - now called founders - have been brought to establish a conservation breeding program.
“We were so close to losing the species, we can’t waste any time. What we are learning today from breeding trials and observations of behaviours, will help us to better understand their diet, how they breed and develop in the wild and ultimately secure their future.” - Nick Clemann, Senior Biologist Herpetology.
Support a Dragon today, for all our tomorrows
The Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon was once commonly found in native grasslands west of Melbourne. Since colonisation, however, their population dramatically declined as the habitat was cleared and became more and more degraded and fragmented.
Across the state now, less than one per cent of original native grasslands remain in small remnant patches that are susceptible to invasive weeds, drought and collapse of the invertebrate web that sustains the unique ecosystem.
Grasslands are Australia’s most rapidly disappearing ecosystem. Will you help us save the species that call this habitat home?
A species thought to be lost forever, is now known to be clinging to existence in just a single remnant in the most rapidly disappearing ecosystem in Australia. To the casual observer, the grasslands occupied by the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon may lack the splendour of more iconic ecosystems such as rainforests, forests, and alpine ecosystems, yet they are just as important to all the wildlife that inhabit them. When you take a closer look, it is an awe-inspiring ecosystem, filled with flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth.
A look inside the dragon’s den
As you walk through the ecosystem Victorian Grassland Earless Dragons have persisted in, you may notice it is an open environment scattered with kangaroo and wallaby grasses. It is quite rocky, which provides the dragons with additional shelter and perching sites to forage for insects.
Tiptoe past the dragon’s den and it appears they have developed a peculiar relationship, they depend on abandoned spider burrows to shelter and nest. Dragons don’t seem to stay in the same place for long, as new burrows appear often, which puts the recovery team through their paces trying to locate this cryptic species.
We had to use a number of different surveying methods to account for weather conditions, terrain and how the dragons use the habitat. From articulating endoscopes to a purpose-built network of fake spider burrows. As the first discoveries were made, perhaps the most sophisticated surveying method began to be deployed. Swabs of scent and samples of scat1 were taken from the dragons and the terribly clever canines and humans that make up the Zoos Victoria Wildlife Detection Dog Team, began training to lend a helping hand (and paw).
The Wildlife Detection Dog Team are a conservation game changer. Their ability to safely locate a target will not only help to survey this known habitat, but will help us be more efficient in discovering other populations areas we haven’t yet surveyed. A crucial step in the long-term conservation of the species.
Together we can bring a species back from the brink of extinction this end of financial year.
Zoos Victoria has made a commitment that “no Victorian terrestrial vertebrate species will go extinct on our watch.” As with all our Fighting Extinction priority threatened species, Zoos Victoria is committed to securing the future of the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon. With your support, we will leverage our expertise and galvanise actions already underway to defend this dragon and put it on a fast track to downgrading its Critically Endangered status by 2030.
Zoos Victoria is a not-for-profit conservation organisation. Every tax-deductible donation helps our mission to fight wildlife extinction. Together, we can help the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon and other species that rely on grassland habitats.
It is with your continued support that we continue to fight for a future rich in wildlife.
Other ways to help us
There are many ways to support wildlife, including leaving a gift in your Will, Fundraising for wildlife, becoming an Animal Adopter, or Conservation Partner.
Thank you for your support. Together we can fight extinction and respond to all wildlife in distress.
As a supporter who cares deeply about our natural world of wildlife, you can be a crucial part of this positive change by supporting wildlife. All of our achievements – helping to save endangered wildlife both inside and outside our walls – would not be possible without you.