The intransitive usage of the verb 'lack'

The following accounts for the forms of animals engraved on a rock.

The three turtles on the upper left of the main rock face appear to be guiding whales swimming in a group. Since sea turtles come to the shore to spawn between early spring and summer, they are often regarded in ancient myth as symbolic animals crossing the boundary of sea and land. In the case of fish, heads of fish looking like sharks are depicted sideways, and there are salmon jumping above the sea surface. On later engravings there is the suggestion of a wooden fence, but since the inner outlines resemble fish and land animals are lacking the possibility of a fishpound has been considered.

I'd like to know if the verb "lack" has the intransitive usage as in my example.
Thank you in advance for your help.