Blue-tailed Sandveld Lizard rediscovered in Mozambique after 53 years
The Endangered Wildlife Trust has confirmed the first verified record of the Blue-tailed Sandveld Lizard (Nucras caesicaudata) since 1971, capturing and photographing a live specimen in Banhine National Park, southern Mozambique, in December 2025. The species – previously listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List and included on re:Wild’s roster of “lost” species – had not been officially recorded for more than five decades.
The team, working with Mozambique’s Administração Nacional das Áreas de Conservação, the Maputo Natural History Museum and Peace Parks Foundation, also observed a second individual in Zinave National Park in November 2025, extending the species’ known range. Researchers collected a tissue sample for genetic analysis and plan further surveys to inform an updated conservation assessment. The work was funded by the Government of Canada through the Restoring African Rangelands Project led by Conservation International, underscoring the biodiversity value of Banhine and Zinave for conservation and nature-based tourism.
Source: Sunday Tribune
