Extra help for rare 'hidden' lizard in Australia

New conservation plans are underway to protect a new species of lizard in Australia, believed to be one of the rarest reptiles in the country.

Called the kungaka, meaning "the hidden one", there are thought to be only around twenty of the species living in the wild.

It lives in Mutawintji National Park in the south-eastern state of New South Wales.

Although people have known about the lizard for many years, scientists have only just confirmed it as a new species, having previously thought it was the same as another, more common, one.

Scientists have been monitoring these lizards for the past 25 years.

But until recently, it was thought that the kungaka was just a small, separate group of a common type of lizard found in many places.

However, working with the local Wiimpatja Aboriginal community, researchers have now confirmed it as a new species - found nowhere else on Earth.

Experts say that the kungaka can be found living in small, rocky parts of the national park, in hot and dry conditions.

A conservation project, working with the Wiimpatja community, is aiming to find more individuals, protect its habitat, and look at plans to help increase its population.

Researchers say that officially recognising the species is an important step, as it raises awareness and helps with efforts to protect it in the future.