LOS ANGELES (AP) - Wildlife officials say a tiny lizard found on three of Southern California's Channel Islands is no longer threatened.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday it has proposed plans to remove the island night lizard from its current listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The Ventura County Star says the proposal is based on successful recovery efforts that included removing nonnative species like goats and feral cats from the islands.
Officials estimate 21 million island night lizards now live on San Clemente Island, about 15,300 inhabit San Nicolas Island and 17,600 can be found on Santa Barbara Island.
The newspaper says the lizard averages from 2.6 to 4.3 inches long.
Comments on the Fish and Wildlife Service proposal will be accepted until April 5.
