Three new species have been discovered in a previously undiscovered part of Australia a James Cook University press release reported Monday.
"Finding three new, obviously distinct vertebrates would be surprising enough in somewhere poorly explored like New Guinea, let alone in Australia, a country we think we've explored pretty well," Dr. Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University said in a statement. "These species are restricted to the upland rainforest and boulder-fields of Cape Melville. They've been isolated there for millennia, evolving into distinct species in their unique rocky environment."
Hoskin, and fellow colleague Dr. Tim Laman discovered a leaf-tail gecko, a golden-coloured skunk, and a boulder-dwelling frog while exploring Australia's secluded mountains on the country's Cape York Peninsula in North East Australia.
"That this gecko was hidden away in a small patch of rainforest on top of Cape Melville is truly remarkable," Patrick Couper, curator of reptiles and frogs at the Queensland Museum who helped work on the gecko's description said in a statement. "What makes it even more remarkable is that two other totally new vertebrates were found at the same time," Another exciting find proved to be the gecko.
"The second I saw the gecko I knew it was a new species. Everything about it was obviously distinct," Dr. Hoskin said in a statement.
According to the press release, Geckos hide next to big rocks during the day, and roam about at night for rocks, and trees.
The species camouflages itself, and does not move while it waits to capture its prey such as insects, and spiders. Gecko's also have big eyes, and a lengthy, and thin body.
"The Cape Melville Leaf-tailed Gecko is the strangest new species to come across my desk in 26 years working as a professional herpetologist. I doubt that another new reptile of this size and distinctiveness will be found in a hurry, if ever again, in Australia."
