‘Mysterious' long-toed creature missing for a century found sunbathing in jungle

Miami Herald

15-04-2025

On a two-day trek through the jungle in North Sumatra, researcher Pablo Sinovas was stopped in his tracks by a 'vibrant' creature sitting on the trail, basking in a beam of sunlight that broke through the rainforest canopy.
It flicked its pale 'snake-like' tongue at him before running off in short bursts on its 'inordinately long' toes, taking refuge under a boulder, according to an April 10 study published in the journal Zootaxa.
Unsure in the moment of what he found, Sinovas showed a picture of the animal to local guides and residents. Only a few people had ever seen it before.
Sinovas then sent photos of the 'mysterious' creature to Dr. Lee Grismer whom he calls 'Southeast Asia's leading herpetologist,' according to an April 12 Instagram post.
'Holy (expletive)! Did you find it?' Grismer responded, according to Sinovas' post. 'That species has not been seen in well over a century. I have looked for it for 20 years.'
It turns out Sinovas had photographed Sphenomorphus anomalopus, also known as the long-toed forest skink — sightings of which had not been confirmed in 109 years, according to the study.
'It was described in 1890 and, shortly after, it vanished,' Sinovas said. 'All that remained were some old, faded museum specimens.'
The skink, listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, had never officially been documented alive and in its natural habitat.
Dead specimens were recorded in Sumatra in 1915, then there was no mention of the species until a few unconfirmed images appeared on iNaturalist in 2023 and 2024, according to the study.
Sinovas' observations have helped verify the skink in these photos as Sphenomorphus anomalopus, according to the study.
The species is recognized by 'its unmistakably long fourth toe,' according to the study. Scientists initially believed the species lived in the trees and that this digit provided grip for their arboreal lifestyle.
New observations show the skink actually lives on the ground among leaf litter, and its long toes may provide additional traction on slippery surfaces, according to Sinovas.
The long-toed forest skink, never before described alive, has a 'vibrant and contrasting' coloration, with a 'lemon-yellow' throat and chest and 'orange, reddish, and greyish pattern configuration,' according to the study.
The skink was rediscovered in Gunung Leuser National Park, a world heritage site and biosphere reserve, according to the study.
The park is 'renowned for its biodiversity and serves as a critical habitat for numerous endemic and threatened species,' including the Sumatran orangutan and the Sumatran elephant, according to the study.
Researchers include Pablo Sinovas and L. Lee Grismer.