‘Large’ pregnant creature with ‘heart‑shaped’ spot found in China. It’s a new species

In the mountains of central China, a “large” pregnant creature perched at the edge of a forest. Down the scaly predator’s back ran a line of “heart-shaped” spots.

Visiting scientists spotted the colorful animal — and discovered a new species.

Researchers visited the Dadu River valley in Sichuan Province several times between 2018 and 2022, according to a study published April 29 in the peer-reviewed journal Animals. Their goal? Find some lizards.

During the surveys, researchers found dozens of “large” lizards, the study said. At first, they thought the animals were a new population of a known species, but when they looked closer, they realized they’d discovered a new species: Diploderma daduense, or the Dadu mountain lizard.

Dadu mountain lizards are considered “large,” reaching up to 13 inches long, the study said. Males and females vary in coloring but have primarily green, scaly bodies scattered with brown and black blotches.

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Photos show a male Dadu mountain lizard. Its back is a mixture of greens and teals with black patches while its underside is dark brown. When stressed, its coloring darkens and becomes primarily grayish brown.

Other photos show the olive green coloring and brown patches of a female Dadu mountain lizard. Females have “heart‑shaped or diamond‑shaped black patches” down their back, the study said.

Researchers found one female lizard pregnant with two eggs, the study said. The new species can carry up to seven eggs at once.

Dadu mountain lizards live in forested valleys along the Dadu River between elevations of about 1,900 and 6,800 feet, researchers said. The lizards were “commonly found on tree branches, shrublands, crevice‑filled rock piles, or soil walls at forest edges.” These scaly predators feed on insects and spiders.

Researchers said they named the new species after the Dadu River valley where it was first discovered.

So far, Dadu mountain lizards have been found in five counties and several other sites in Sichuan Province, the study said. Sichuan Province is in south-central China, a roughly 1,100-mile drive southwest of Beijing.

The new species was identified by its size, color, pattern, scale arrangement, body shape and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 7% genetic divergence from other lizard species.

The research team included Bo Cai, Fengjing Liu, Dong Liang, Mian Hou, Huaming Zhou, Jiayun Zhong, Jing Li and Jiang Chang.

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