

Image courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society/Tim Davenport.

The announcement was made by the WCS today, following a study by a team of scientists in the Southern Highlands and Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. The recently uncovered reptile was found in four separate regions of montane forest and has been subsequently described in the journal, Acta Herpetologica.

Tanzania’s Southern Highlands have proven to be a haven in recent years for new, rare and mysterious creatures. In 2003, the WCS also discovered the Kipunji – a new species of primate that remarkably turned out to represent a completely new genus. Such a taxonomic event had not occurred in Africa for 80 years. In 2012, the organisation uncovered a new snake species; Matilda’s Horned Viper. Collectively, these discoveries underline the need for intensive conservation efforts and further research in the area.