Latest news with #DarrenPietersen
News24
3 days ago
- Health
- News24
Five ‘lost' species that have been recovered in SA
In recent years, South African researchers have rediscovered several lost animal species, some of which had not been seen for decades. Some of these species include the Blyde River flat gecko, Branch's rain frog, orange-tailed sandveld lizard, Pennington's blue butterfly and De Winton's golden mole. Rediscovering these species is essential for their conservation. For climate change news and analysis, go to News24 Climate Future. In recent years, South African organisations have rediscovered 'lost' animal species in the country, many of which occur nowhere else. According to the Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) conservation and data scientist Oliver Cowan, South Africa is vast, and the environment is changing. As a result, species may remain undetected either because they have gone extinct or because no one has found them in recent years. He said rediscovering them was an essential first step in their conservation. Learn more about the five species recovered recently in SA: Blyde River flat gecko In April 2025, two researchers from EWT, Darren Pietersen and John Davies, rediscovered the Blyde River flat gecko that had last been seen 34 years previously by scientist Niels Jacobsen. According to Cowan, the Blyde River flat gecko is less than 10cm long and flat, allowing it to access rock crevices. Its large eyes, excellent night vision, and colour enable it to blend into the rock surfaces upon which it moves. 'Flat geckos do not have eyelids but a permanent transparent membrane protecting their eye. To keep this membrane clear, geckos are often observed using their tongue to clean their eyes,' Cowan said. The Blyde River flat gecko feeds on insects. According to the EWT report, Jacobsen collected two males in 1991 from a nearly unreachable, isolated hill in the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga, but the gecko was not observed again until early 2025. As the species had not been recorded for more than 10 years, Re:Wild, an international organisation that supports conservation, classified it as a 'lost' species. In April 2025, Pietersen and Davies visited the Blyde River Canyon area to determine whether the gecko still inhabited the same isolated hill. After securing the required permits to visit the site, which took two years, the researchers were able to access the area with a helicopter and found the species. Branch's rain frog Branch's rain frogs are different from most species of frogs as they do not have a tadpole phase, said Cowan. Instead, they emerge from eggs fully formed, even though tiny. The species has a 'grumpy' face. It feeds on moths, beetles, and insect larvae. A single specimen of the rain frog was originally found before 2008 in Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape. The species was officially identified by scientist Alan Channing in 2012. It was rediscovered in 2023 through a survey led by EWT. Its habitat is subject to alluvial diamond mining and extreme weather events, and gathering more information on its distribution will help us protect its natural habitat. Oliver Cowan Orange-tailed sandveld lizard Chad Keates/Supplied The orange-tailed sandveld lizard is about the size of a ruler, characterised by its long orange tail. They eat invertebrates such as termites, grasshoppers, and beetles. Cowan stated that the lizard was captured once in 2005 near Lambert's Bay and again was coincidentally photographed on a camera trap in 2011. He said the habitat where the species occurs has undergone substantial historical transformations, primarily due to agriculture. 'In more recent years, a slew of mining developments has occurred along the West Coast,' Cowan stated. A two-week targeted survey by a team of herpetological (reptile and amphibian) experts rediscovered this species in 2022. 'The species will be uplisted to an endangered threat category as a result of the information gathered, which will ensure it is accounted for during future proposed developments within its habitat,' Cowan said. Pennington's blue butterfly Andrew Morton/Supplied Pennington's blue butterfly is scientifically known as Lepidochrysops penningtoni. Its wingspan is between 3cm and 5cm. 'The upper parts of the Lepidochrysop males have a slightly pale, pearlescent, blue or blue-violet sheen, [while] the females are a duller brown,' Cowan explained. He said this butterfly species was rediscovered in 2021 by the Lepidopterists' Society of Africa in the Northern Cape and was last recorded in 1968. They have a fascinating relationship with ants. Some live in ant nests, where the ants tend to them. Others have evolved to exploit ants, using them for shelter, food, or both. They feed on the flower buds or developing seed ovules of their host plants. De Winton's golden mole JP le Roux/Supplied The De Winton's golden mole got its name from its shiny coat. Unlike mole rats, which eat plant roots and make large mole hills, they are not destructive. Cowan said an interesting fact about the golden mole is that it is more closely related to elephants than normal garden moles, and it is blind. De Winton's Golden Mole is listed as critically endangered as its habitat has been significantly transformed, predominantly due to mining activities. Oliver Cowan The De Winton's golden mole was rediscovered in 2023 by researchers from the EWT who employed thermal detection, a sniffer dog, and eDNA analysis in targeted surveys after it had last been spotted 86 years ago. eDNA is genetic material that organisms shed and leave in their environment, such as skin cells, hair, or excretions. Soil samples from underground tunnels were tested to detect the golden mole's DNA successfully.
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
'Lost' Blyde River Flat Gecko rediscovered after 33 years
Two Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) researchers have rediscovered a gecko species that had not been seen for over 33 years - the Blyde River Flat Gecko. Image: Endangered Wildlife Trust A gecko species that had not been seen for over three decades has been rediscovered by two researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), bringing renewed hope for the conservation of South Africa's lesser-known species. The Blyde River Flat Gecko (Afroedura rondavelica), first discovered in December 1991 by Dr Niels Jacobsen in the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga, was only known from two male specimens. Since then, no other sightings were recorded, sparking debate about its taxonomic validity and concerns about its possible extinction. In April 2025, EWT's Dr Darren Pietersen and John Davies accessed the remote site, a nearly inaccessible inselberg by helicopter after a two-year process to secure permits. Their successful expedition confirmed the gecko's continued existence and its taxonomic distinctness. 'This brings to four the number of 'lost species' that the EWT has rediscovered as a result of its increased focus on locating and conserving elusive, less charismatic, but critically important wildlife that is often overlooked and at risk of slipping into extinction unless urgent action is taken,' the EWT stated. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Flat geckos are known for their micro-endemism, occurring only at one or a few localities. The Blyde River Flat Gecko is perhaps the best example, with its known range restricted to a single rocky outcrop in the canyon. Its classification as a 'lost species' by re:Wild, along with its listing as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List, reflected the lack of data and uncertainty surrounding its survival. With the rediscovery, the EWT confirmed that 'the morphological and therefore taxonomic distinctness of the species' was validated. Tissue samples were collected to conduct genetic analyses that will further confirm its classification and help guide conservation planning. 'The ecological and population data that they collected will allow this species' conservation status to be re-evaluated, moving it out of the Data Deficient category,' the EWT added. The EWT expressed gratitude to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) for issuing the necessary permits and pilot Jana Meyer of Hope for Wildlife for navigating the challenging helicopter journey to the inselberg. Financial support from the Anglo American Foundation and Global Affairs Canada made the expedition possible, it said. THE MERCURY
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.
Euronews
15-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
'Lost' gecko species rediscovered after more than 30 years
Researchers who were dropped off by helicopter in a largely inaccessible and remote canyon in South Africa say they have discovered a type of gecko that hadn't been seen in more than 30 years and was thought to be extinct - or maybe to have never existed at all. The Endangered Wildlife Trust said Wednesday that two of its researchers had found specimens of the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko. It was first identified in the same canyon in Mpumalanga Province in northeastern South Africa in 1991, only to not be seen again. Mystery surrounded the little lizard over the next three decades - was it extinct, or were the two male specimens originally found actually just juveniles from another gecko species, as some suggested? Researchers Darren Pietersen and John Davies returned to the same site last month, determined to find the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko again and solve the conservation conundrum that had rankled Pietersen. 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," said Pietersen. "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, 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. Pietersen and Davies only had three days camping on the outcrop to find the geckos, which are around 8 to 9 centimetres long when fully grown. 'And when we did, we were elated to say the least,' said Pietersen. He said they saw 20 to 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.
