Spiky mountain creature — with a purple tongue — discovered as new species in Peru

Aspen Pflughoeft
·3 min read
3

Way up in the mountains of Peru, a spiky creature settled in for the night. It perched on a coffee plant and fell asleep, but unbeknownst to it, this wasn’t going to be a peaceful night’s rest.

Passing scientists caught the sleeping animal — and discovered a new species.

Researchers ventured into the forests of the Cordillera de Colán mountains on several wildlife surveys between 2007 and 2019, according to a study published Jan. 31 in the Journal of Vertebrate Biology. The surveys had one goal: find and identify reptiles.

To do this, researchers went on “slow nocturnal walks along trails and through the forest,” the study said. During these walks, they found four spiky lizards that didn’t match any known records.

Researchers took a closer look at the animals and realized they’d discovered a new species: Enyalioides dickinsoni, or Dickinson’s wood lizards.

Dickinson’s wood lizards can reach just over 11 inches in length, researchers said. Males and females vary greatly in color, but both have moderately robust bodies covered in spiky scales. A row of larger spikes, known as a crest, runs down their backs.

Two male Enyalioides dickinsoni, or Dickinson’s wood lizards.
Two male Enyalioides dickinsoni, or Dickinson’s wood lizards.

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Male Dickinson’s wood lizards — which can be seen in the photo above — have a “greenish bronze” body with a white underside and a purple tongue, the study said.

Females, however, have more of a brown coloring, photos show. One is a golden-brown color with some darker brown stripes on the tip of its tail, while another is beige-brown with dark brown stripes running down its back and tail.

Dickinson’s wood lizards “were found sleeping at night … in coffee crops,” the study said, though one lizard was found during the day and “ran to hide under a large rock.” The new species lives in mountainous forests between elevations of about 4,600 to about 5,600 feet.

Several female Enyalioides dickinsoni, or Dickinson’s wood lizards, as seen from the side and from above.
Several female Enyalioides dickinsoni, or Dickinson’s wood lizards, as seen from the side and from above.

Researchers said they named the new species after Paul Bruce Dickinson, the “lead singer of the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden.”

So far, Dickinson’s wood lizards have been found in three locations within the Cordillera de Colán, the study said. This mountain range is in the Amazonas department and about 460 miles north of Lima.

The new species was identified by the arrangement, size and texture of its scales as well as other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 3.6% genetic divergence from other wood lizards.

The research team included Pablo Venegas, Luis García-Ayachi, Juan Chávez-Arribasplata, Axel Marchelie, Santiago Bullard, Eduardo Quispe, Juan Valencia, Jasmín Odar and Omar Torres-Carvajal.

The team also discovered a second new species of wood lizard.

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