‘Horned’ creature with ‘large’ ‘reddish’ eyes found in China. It’s a new species
In a mountain forest of central China, a “horned” creature perched in a “very cold” stream and called out. Its “large” “reddish” eyes scanned the nearby stones, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Passing scientists noticed the “thick”-armed animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers visited Dalaoling Nature Reserve in 2024 as part of a project to survey the region’s wildlife, according to a study published Sept. 26 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
During their searches, researchers found 10 unfamiliar-looking frogs in a stream, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, analyzed their DNA and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Boulenophrys dalaolingensis, or the Mount Dalaoling horned toad.
Mount Dalaoling horned toads are considered “medium-sized,” reaching just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have “large” eyes with a “reddish brown” hue and “near diamond-shaped” pupils. Their arms are “thick and robust,” their legs are “slender,” and their skin is “rough.”
Photos show the color variation between males and females of the new species.
Male Mount Dalaoling horned toads are a blotchy “olive green” with paler stomachs, researchers said. Female Mount Dalaoling horned toads are “a remarkable reddish-brown color” with “brick-red spots” and “bright rose red” hue under their limbs.
The new species was found in a “very cold” stream “with a gritty bottom” in a mountain forest at an elevation of about 4,600 feet, the study said. Male toads were heard calling “around rocks and plants in streams” at all times of the day. Female toads “were observed crawling and swimming near the streams.”
Researchers said they named the new species after the Dalaoling Nature Reserve where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. The reserve is in Hubei province in central China.
“The development of tourism facilities and the destruction of stream habitats have gradually affected and threatened the habitats of the new species,” the study said. “There is an urgent need to obtain more data … from long-term and extensive surveys to assess their endangered status.”
The new species was identified by its overall size, mouth, skin texture, finger and toe shape, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 2.5% genetic divergence from related species.
The research team included Ruiqi Wang, Lu Chen, Jinliang Chen, Haochen Huang, Gangzhi Peng, Honglin Peng, Xinzhang Gao, Bangqing Chen and Naiyi Liu.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 1:35 PM with the headline "‘Horned’ creature with ‘large’ ‘reddish’ eyes found in China. It’s a new species."
