High up in the mountains of Venezuela, a “dwarf”-like creature tucked itself in for the night. The small animal was blanketed by the darkness and hidden in the leaves — but not well enough.
When scientists spotted the lurking creature, they discovered a new species.
Researchers ventured into the Andes Mountains in northwestern Venezuela on two wildlife surveys in 2015 and 2016, according to a study published March 1 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Day and night, they searched for frogs, toads, snakes and lizards.
During their searches, researchers found seven tiny geckos hiding in the leaves, the study said. They took a closer look at the “secretive” lizards and realized they’d discovered a new species: Pseudogonatodes quihuai, or Quihua’s dwarf gecko. READ MORE...
