A team of scientists found three new types of reptile species: gold-colored skink, blotched-boulder frog and the incredible leaf-tailed gecko in the "Lost World" in Australia.
Cape Melville is located on the east coast of Australia's Cape York Peninsula of a very isolated plateau called Gondwana Rainforest. It is surrounded by millions of huge boulders and is only accessible by a helicopter ride.
Dr. Conrad Hoskin, leader of the exploration from James Cook University, has heard about the "Lost World" about 10 years ago but was encouraged to check out the place when he saw its images from Google Earth.
His team proceeded with the four-day exploration of the "Lost World" which they shared on a press release. They were overwhelmed with the rich rainforest that had "good earth…clear, flowing streams." The scientists were exploring the area on their second day when they first caught sight of the first discovery of their trek: a gold-colored skink which jumps around the rocks in the mossy grassland to catch insects.
"I was just walking around along the ridge line and there was this small lizard, a skink, that was something completely new," Dr Hoskin recounts. Its next of kin usually round about in clumps of leaves.
Trekking further the same day, the scientists found a new species of frogs that had ornate blotches and orange shaded legs. Living in boulders, the frog species which they called the "blotched boulder frog" thrives in damp and breezy environment within the boulders in the meadow during dry season. In wet seasons however they surface and begin to breed in the rain. Without ponds in the area, these unique frogs lay and hatch their offspring in between the damp rocks.
Next while they were exploring the area by nightfall, they discovered the highlight of their four-day trip: the leaf-tailed gecko. "This thing was mind-blowing, completely bizarre. It's really big, around eight inches with long spindly legs and huge eyes," which are results of the gecko's adaptation to the environment," Hoskin shared.
The Curator of Reptiles and Frogs at the Queensland Museum Patrick Couper said that this particular gecko is the "strangest new species to come across my desk in 26 years working as a professional herpetologist."
The team was only able to explore 10 percent of the plateau during their four-day trip. They plan to return and scour more of the potentially rich flora and fauna in the forest. They believe that Australia's isolated forest must be harboring incredible species of animals and plants just waiting to be discovered.
More details and images of the exploration can be seen on the National Geographic.
