Mysterious 2-foot-long creature — with dozens of teeth — discovered as new species
In a forest of Ecuador, a 2-foot-long creature with “unique” coloring wriggled along the muddy ground. Something about the “large” amphibian caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a mysterious new species.
Researchers visited several sites in northern Ecuador between 2016 and 2023 in search of caecilians, an unusual and poorly known type of amphibian, according to a study published Nov. 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Salamandra.
Caecilians have “a snake-like appearance but without visible scales,” co-author Santiago Ron told McClatchy News in an email. “They live underground, have reduced eyes and are rarely seen. (Their) diet consists of underground animals, including earthworms.”
During their searches, researchers found some unfamiliar-looking caecilians and, taking a closer look at the animals, realized they’d discovered a new species: Caecilia tesoro, or Tesoro’s caecilian.
Tesoro’s caecilians are considered “large,” reaching up to 31 inches in length, the study said. Their “robust” bodies are limbless and riddled with “grooves.” Their heads have “very small” eyes, “fleshy” tongues and dozens of “large backward curved” teeth.
Photos show the “unique” coloring of the new species. Its head and rear end are gray, but the rest of its body is “yellowish-cream to caramel.” Dark brown marks, described by researchers as “presumably scars,” dot its body.
The coloring of Tesoro’s caecilians varies by their size. Smaller animals are “uniformly dark gray” while larger animals are gray and yellow-brown, the study said.
Tesoro’s caecilians were found in a range of forested habitats, including a former cacao plantation, on mountain ridges and near roads. Researchers suspect the animals “are always active on the surface after heavy rains,” but much of their underground lifestyle remains a mystery.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Spanish word “tesoro,” meaning “treasure,” after the Tesoro Escondido Reserve where it was first discovered. The name also reflects “the rich biodiversity of the (surrounding) Chocó lowland forests.”
So far, Tesoro’s caecilians have been found at five sites in northwestern Ecuador, the study said. These sites are scattered across three provinces and near the border with Colombia.
The new species was identified by its DNA, coloring, size, body shape, teeth and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Sarah Bock, Thalia Arroba-López, Holger Velez-Giler, Vanessa Moreira, Moira Wiedebusch, Karla Neira-Salamea, Mark Wilkinson, Niklas Fuchs, Markus Schönleitner, Mark-Oliver Rödel and Santiago Ron.
The team also discovered a second new species of caecilian: the truncated caecilian.
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 5:32 AM with the headline "Mysterious 2-foot-long creature — with dozens of teeth — discovered as new species."
