Komodo dragon collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed these larger varanids to move back into what is now the Indonesian archipelago, extending their range as far east as the island of Timor. The Komodo dragon was believed to have differentiated from its Australian ancestors 4 million years ago. However, recent fossil evidence from Queensland suggests the Komodo dragon actually evolved in Australia before spreading to Indonesia. Dramatic lowering of sea level during the last glacial period uncovered extensive stretches of continental shelf that the Komodo dragon colonised, becoming isolated in their present island range as sea levels rose afterwards. Extinct Pliocene
Slender glass lizard is regarded as vulnerable or endangered in some states. Its primary threats are loss of habitat, and the fragmentation of what remains, by human development. Slender glass lizard The slender glass lizard ("Ophisaurus attenuatus") is a legless lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the United States. Two subspecies are recognised. Slender glass lizards have yellow to brown bodies with six stripes, and they have two lateral grooves (one on each side). Unlike snakes, they have eyelids and ears. "O. attenuatus" can attain a total length (including tail) of up to 1 meter (about 40 inches). "O.