Near a parking lot in southern India, a “cryptic” creature hid under a rock. The “slender” creature blended in quite well — but not well enough.
When scientists spotted the hidden animal, it turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited hundreds of sites in Tamil Nadu between 2018 and 2023 in search of wildlife, according to a study published Jan. 19 in the journal Vertebrate Zoology. The large-scale search had one goal: find and identify a specific type of lizard.
While searching in the Jawadhu Hills, researchers found a pair of lizards they didn’t recognize, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and realized they’d discovered a new species: Dravidoseps jawadhuensis, or the Jawadhu leaf-litter skink.
Jawadhu leaf-litter skinks are considered “medium-sized,” reaching over 2.4 inches in length, the study said. They have “relatively slender” bodies with “short” heads and “short” limbs. On their lower eyelids, the skinks have a “transparent central window.” Their nostrils have a “trapezoidal” shape.
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A photo shows a Jawadhu leaf-litter skink. The lizard has a “dark brown” body with a black stripe running down its sides. A few yellow scales are visible just below the black stripe. Seen from underneath, the skink has a “glossy cream” belly, researchers said.
Jawadhu leaf-litter skinks have been found near ant burrows and under rocks near a car parking lot in mid-elevation forests, the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Jawadhu Hills where it was discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found. These hills are in Vellore District, Tamil Nadu, and about 1,000 miles southeast of New Delhi.
The new species was identified by its eyelids, scale pattern and DNA, the study said.
The research team included Ishan Agarwal, Tejas Thackeray and Akshay Khandekar.
The team also discovered a new genus of skinks, Dravidoseps, and four more new species: a “bronze” one, “coconut brown” one, “dull bronze-brown” one and “dark bronze-brown” one.
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