Researchers thought they would never see the long-nosed Pinocchio lizard again, until they saw one cross the road.
The odd lizard, technically called Anolis proboscis or the horned anole, has a "rhinoceros like protuberance that grows out of its snout," a Destination Ecuador press release reported. The anole is nicknamed after the legendary puppet whose nose grew when he told a lie.
Pinocchio lizards were believed to be extinct, but the researchers recently found the third horned anole to be spotted within 15 years.
The Pinocchio lizard was first seen in 1953, but was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2005 when some birdwatchers saw one crossing the road in Ecuador. In 2010, members of an expedition also saw one of the long-nosed lizards.
The anole may be scarce, but it is also extremely talented at blending into its environment in the cloud forest. They even turn pale white when a headlight is shined on them at night.
"We wanted to find it because it is a fantastic and mysterious creature that has remained unknown for almost all human beings for decades. Also, we needed pictures of the species for a book about the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Mindo region. It was the only lizard we were missing." Alejandro Arteaga, said.
The explorer recalled finding the elusive creature.
"It's hard to describe the feelings of finding this lizard. Finding the Pinnochio Anole was like discovering a secret, a deeply held secret. We conceived it for years to be a mythological creature. Therefore, when Paolo screamed that he had found the lizard, our hearts stopped." Arteaga, said. "Our team was walking along a cold-water stream in deep cloud forest during a chilly night. Frog choruses were constant an enchanting, and the rain made our task to walk along the tangled vegetation surrounding the stream very difficult. It was well over midnight when one of the members of our team, Paolo Escobar, saw the lizard, just sleeping, covered in dew, about two meters above the water."
The researchers also learned a few new things about the Pinocchio anole.
"We discovered this lizard occurs in habitats very different to what has been suggested in the literature. No one had ever found the lizard in deep cloud forest away from open areas. The other sightings were in forest border," Arteaga said.
The researchers noticed the lizard's nose was very flexible, and bent when it came in contact with other objects. This disproved the theory that the nose is used for battling between males.
The lizard could have the ability to move its nose up and down through hydrostatic pressure instead of muscles.
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