At a time when many species are facing extinction due to human-caused pollution and increasing temperatures, one hopeful note has sparked excitement: researchers have been alerted to a living specimen of a species last seen over 100 years ago.
According to the Miami Herald, Pablo Sinovas encountered a small, beautifully colored reptile sitting on the trail during a two-day visit to the jungle of North Sumatra.
According to his account, published in April in the journal Zootaxa, it flicked its "snake-like" tongue at him before running off, displaying "inordinately long" toes. It hid under a boulder, but not before Sinovas snapped several pictures.
The reptile — with sleek scales, a back patterned in reddish-brown and gray, and a lemon-yellow belly — was a long-toed forest skink. It had never before been photographed or described alive in its natural habitat by researchers.
Sinovas didn't know what the animal was and had to contact several experts to identify it. He sent photos to Dr. Lee Grismer, whom he called "Southeast Asia's leading herpetologist" in an April 12 Instagram post.
"Holy s***! Did you find it?" Grismer responded, per the same post. "That species has not been seen in well over a century. I have looked for it for 20 years."
"It was described in 1890 and, shortly after, it vanished," Sinovas told the Miami Herald. "All that remained were some old, faded museum specimens."
Not only did this sighting confirm that the species is still alive in the wild, but it also corrected some false assumptions about its habits. Researchers once thought its unusually long fourth toe was for getting a better grip as it climbs trees, but it now appears that the lizard lives on the ground, and the long toe may give it better traction in loose leaf litter.
This incredible discovery took place in Gunung Leuser National Park, a world heritage site and biosphere reserve. It is a critical habitat for threatened species like the Sumatran orangutan and the Sumatran elephant.
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Definitely 👍 This incident shows how protecting a few key species and their ecosystem also shelters many other, lesser-known species in the same habitat.
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