Latest news with #BlydeRiverCanyon
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
‘Lost' species rediscovered after more than three decades
A "lost" lizard species, the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko, has been rediscovered in South Africa 's Blyde River Canyon after 34 years. It was first identified in 1991, but not seen again. That led to it being thought extinct, as well as its existence as a distinct species being questioned, as some believed it to be a juvenile of another species. Researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust located and photographed several specimens in April 2025, confirming its distinct species status. The development follows other recent rediscoveries by the EWT, including a mole, butterfly, lizard, and frog. The collected data, including tissue samples, will help confirm the gecko's unique classification and contribute to its conservation.
Times
15-05-2025
- Science
- Times
‘Lost' gecko found in South African canyon after 34 years
South African scientists have discovered a 'lost' species of gecko that had not been seen for 34 years — and which some believed might never have existed at all. Last month two researchers went to extraordinary lengths to prove that the elusive creature, dubbed the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko, did in fact, live exclusively in an almost inaccessible canyon in northern South Africa. Darren Pietersen and John Davies from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) were lowered by helicopter to inspect a rocky hillside in Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga province. That was where the species had first been sighted in 1991 and given its taxonomic name Afroedura rondavelica, although some speculated at the time the two males were merely juveniles of another species. The
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Tiny lizard thought to be extinct rediscovered after 34 years
A gecko species not seen for over 30 years and feared extinct has been rediscovered in a remote South African canyon. Researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) have located specimens of the elusive Blyde Rondavel flat gecko, a species first identified in 1991 in Mpumalanga Province's Blyde River Canyon but not seen since. The gecko's existence has been shrouded in mystery for decades. Some scientists questioned whether the two male specimens originally found were actually juveniles of another species, leading to speculation about its true status. EWT researchers Darren Pietersen and John Davies embarked on an expedition in April to the same canyon, determined to find the gecko and resolve the long-standing debate. The rediscovery confirmed the gecko as a distinct species. Because the Blyde Rondavel gecko hadn't been recorded for more than 10 years, it was considered a 'lost' species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the authority on threatened species, listed it as data deficient, meaning not enough was known to say for sure if it was extinct. 'Having a species that is data deficient annoys me," Dr Pietersen said. "I've always loved the species that others wouldn't study because they're harder to find or obscure.' The research trip was two years in the making after they registered at least six applications for permits to go, Dr Pietersen said. They were dropped off on the top of one of the canyon's landmark circular rocky outcrops, which have sheer cliffs more than 100 metres high that can't easily be climbed and where the geckos were thought most likely to be. It was the exact same outcrop where the geckos were found in 1991. The researchers only had three days camping on the outcrop to find the geckos, which are around 8-9 centimetres long when fully grown. 'And when we did, we were elated to say the least,' said Dr Pietersen. He said they saw 20-30 specimens and captured and photographed seven, giving the world a glimpse of a lost gecko three decades in the making. The Endangered Wildlife Trust said the data they collected, including tissue samples, should allow them to confirm it is a distinct species. The trust said the gecko was the fifth animal they had rediscovered in recent years. A mole that lives in sand dunes was found in 2021 after having not been seen for more than 80 years, and a butterfly, a lizard and a frog species have also been found again in the last four years after being lost to conservationists for decades. They all show how much there is still to learn about the world's biodiversity, the Endangered Wildlife Trust said.
