The natural world. Looking pretty for 3.5b years.

Pinocchio Found...no lie!

Author: Hugh Bollinger/Wednesday, October 9, 2013/Categories: natural history, wildlife conservation, video, environment

In the classic Italian folk tale, Pinocchio, the wooden puppet's nose would grow whenever he didn't tell the truth. It's a story commonly told to children so they will learn honesty. After long field research in a South American rainforest, a real-life "Pinocchio" was found. However, this time it was a lizard.

After a hunt over several years, the long-nosed lizard was seen walking at night by researchers in a remote cloud-forest in the northwest of Ecuador. The Pinocchio lizard, was first discovered in 1953 but thought extinct as only three had been spotted since then. It's a good example of survival for an endangered species if their habitat is maintained.

The new photographs and a short video showcase this super-rare reptile.