Video: Rare Pinocchio lizard thought extinct found in Ecuador
Photographers and researchers have finally managed to capture an exceptionally rare lizard after three years of searching in Ecuador.
The Pinocchio lizard was thought to be extinct for 50 years until it was sighted in 2005 by a group of birdwatchers.
The recent search was carried out by the ecotourism company Tropical Herping, who spent three years looking for the elusive creature.
According to Nature World News, Tropical Herping co-founder Alejandro Arteaga told Destination Ecuador: "We wanted to find it because it is a fantastic and mysterious creature that has remained unknown for almost all human beings for decades.
"Also, we needed pictures of the species for a book about the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Mindo region. It was the only lizard we were missing."
Named after the character whose nose grew every time he lied, the Pinocchio Anole lizard was first discovered in 1953, and was only sighted a handful of times over the next 15 years. It had not been seen for 50 years until the sighting in 2005, and has only been seen three times since.
According to the Daily Mail, one of Arteaga's team spotted a male of the species scaling a branch over a stream in the north west of Ecuador.
Mr Arteaga said: "After looking for so long It was very thrilling to find this strange lizard."
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