‘Large’ forest creature found lurking at abandoned home in China. It’s a new species
As night fell across a nature reserve in China, a “large” creature emerged from the forest and climbed onto an old house. Something about the “long”-limbed animal caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers hiked into the Nangunhe National Nature Reserve several nights in August to search for wildlife, according to a study published Jan. 6 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. The reserve’s “main protected species are rare and endangered wild animals such as elephants, tigers, gibbons, and monkeys.”
But researchers were looking for some lesser-known animals.
So when the team saw some unfamiliar lizards, they caught two and took a closer look, the study said. They analyzed the animals’ DNA and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus nangunhe, or the Nangunhe bent-toed gecko.
Nangunhe bent-toed geckos are considered “large,” reaching about 8 inches in length, the study said. They have “slender” bodies with “long” tails and “long” limbs. Their “large” eyes are “bronze” with an “upper eyelid fringe.”
Photos show the “distinct reticulated pattern” of the new species. Seen from above, thin yellow stripes crisscross its head and back like a network, a similar pattern as giraffes or pythons. Seen from below, the gecko’s underside is white and gray.
Nangunhe bent-toed geckos were found “on rocks or tree trunks” in the forest and “on the wall of an abandoned house,” the study said. The geckos “were slow and easy to catch.”
Researchers said they named the new species after the Nangunhe National Nature Reserve where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found.
Nangunhe National Nature Reserve is in Yunnan province of southern China and near the border with Myanmar.
The new species was identified by its preferred habitat, coloring, scale pattern, size and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 9% genetic divergence from related geckos.
The research team included Shuo Liu, Zhimin Li, Wenguang Duan, Mian Hou and Dingqi Rao.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 9:36 AM with the headline "‘Large’ forest creature found lurking at abandoned home in China. It’s a new species."
