‘Aggressive’ creature of the night found lurking on fences in China. It’s a new species
In the mountains of central China, an “aggressive” creature moved through the darkness. It stopped and perched atop a fence. Nearby scientists spotted the spiky animal — and discovered a new species.
Researchers ventured into the Dabie Mountains several times in 2022 as part of a wildlife survey, according to a study published Dec. 8, 2023, in the journal Animals. They were searching for native amphibians and reptiles.
During the nighttime surveys, researchers found 17 spiky geckos unlike any known species, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and realized they’d discovered a new species: Gekko kaiyai, or the Dabie Mountains gecko.
Dabie Mountains geckos are considered “medium” in size, measuring about 4.6 inches in length, the study said. They have “slender” bodies, “moderately long” limbs and claws. Spikes run across their backs, limbs and tails.
A photo shows a Dabie Mountains gecko perched on a rock. It has a grayish body with some lighter-colored blotches and brown patches. Its eyes are copper brown.
Dabie Mountains geckos vary in color “from yellowish grey to blackish grey,” researchers said.
A photo shows some of this variation. The gecko has a tan-brown coloring with alternating lighter and darker stripes on its tail.
Dabie Mountains geckos are nocturnal and have “strong aggressive tendencies,” the study said. The lizards were found on “rocky cliffs,” “scenic fences” and “walls of buildings” in the lower part of the mountains.
Caiwen Zhang, one of the study’s coauthors, told McClatchy News via email that the new species had an “irritable” temperament. The geckos repeatedly bit researchers and would not let go for long periods but did not cause injuries.
A photo shows the new species sitting on a fence at night.
Researchers said they named the new species “kaiyai” after Kaiya Zhou, a gecko researcher at Nanjing Normal University. The gecko’s common name refers to the area where it was discovered.
The new species has been found in three areas of the Dabie Mountains, the study said. These mountains are “on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces of Central China” and about 400 miles west of Shanghai.
The new species was identified by its scales, coloring, spikes and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found that the new species had between about 2% and about 30% genetic distance from other gecko species.
The research team included Caiwen Zhang, Afang Wu, Bo Cai, Lanrong Wang, Dapeng Pang, Haohao Ma, Lei Yu, Xiangyang Li, Hua Huang, Lin Zeng, Li Li, Jie Yan, Peng Li and Baowei Zhang.
UPDATE (1/8): The article was updated with comments from Caiwen Zhang.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 12:29 PM with the headline "‘Aggressive’ creature of the night found lurking on fences in China. It’s a new species."
