‘Crocodile’-like creatures found breeding in rice field in China. It’s a new species
In a rice field of central China, some “large”-eyed creatures gathered for mating season. Something about the “crocodile”-like animals caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
They turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve several times between 2021 and 2023 to survey amphibians, according to a study published Oct. 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Herpetozoa. During the wildlife searches, they noticed some newts breeding in the water.
Intrigued, researchers captured a few of these newts and, after taking a closer look, realized they’d discovered a new species: Tylototriton gaowangjienensis, or the Gaowangjie crocodile newt.
Gaowangjie crocodile newts are considered “medium-sized,” reaching over 5 inches in length, the study said. They have “rough”-textured skin, “blunt” snouts and “large” eyes. Their limbs are “slender,” and a row of knob-like warts runs along their sides.
Photos show the uniform black coloring of the new species. Seen from below, the newts have bright orange patches on their fingers, toes and tails.
Gaowangjie crocodile newts live in “lush” forests “with high humidity” at elevations of about 2,000 feet, the study said.
During their reproductive season, the newts “migrate to the breeding ground, usually pools or shallow waters,” but also a rice field, the study said. Females lay their eggs in late May, then the amphibians return to the forest.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve where the newts were discovered and, so far, the only area where they have been found. The park is in Hunan Province and a roughly 1,000-mile drive southwest of Beijing.
The new species was identified by its size, fingers, snout shape, head shape, coloring, warts and teeth, the study said. A DNA analysis found the new species had at least about 2% genetic divergence from other related species.
The research team included Jie Huang, Ying Xiang, Tao Wu, You-Xiang Zhang, Zi-Liang Zhang, Ben-Zhong Wang, Xiang-Ying Lan, Yu-Ping Huang, Hui-Juan Jiang and Wan-Sheng Jiang.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 8:12 AM with the headline "‘Crocodile’-like creatures found breeding in rice field in China. It’s a new species."
