Researchers in the Andes have discovered a brand new lizard species.
It is a semi-aquatic reptile, named Potamites montanicola and it can grow to about 2.5 inches long.
Lizards aren’t warm blooded, so they need a heat source, like the sun, a warm rock, or warm animal, to warm their blood and stay alive.
What is confusing scientists is that these lizards somehow are surviving in the cold Andes mountains.
After researchers spotted only one and they realized that it looked so different from other species in the area that it might be a new species, so they began an immediate search.
A researcher said:
“During the day we didn’t find any, but at night we found several individuals, males and females, running and swimming in the stream.
That was a great moment for us.”
They have found and photographed them but they still need to answer the question of how the lizards can survive when the mountain temperature drops to about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
For now, all we can say is, welcome to the world of classified species, Potamites montanicola.
[Image courtesy Germán Chávez.]
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