2012’s Newly Discovered Reptiles & Amphibians: Which is Your Favorite?

Hi All,
An amazing array of newly-discovered reptiles and amphibians grabbed our attention this past year. The unexpected discoveries of an undescribed Leopard Frog in New York City and a Rainbow Skink in an Australian backyard reminded us that wonderful surprises surround us, if only we take the time to look and learn. Frogs that dye human skin yellow, snakes that specialize in eating only eggs or snails, iridescent skinks sporting tails twice their body length…the list is simply astounding. Today I’ll highlight a few that have especially captivated me; please post your own favorites (whether covered here or not) below.
Australian Rainbow Skinks
2012 was designated as the Year of the Lizard by several conservation organizations, so I’ll lead off with 3 new skinks that turned up in Queensland, Australia. The brilliant colors of breeding males lend these tropical lizards their common names. Read article here http://bitly.com/VIaSBK
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Thanks, Frank
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Very neat article, thanks for sharing! New discoveries are so exciting and they were all fascinating, but I've always loved tree snakes, so my vote is going to have to go with Imantodes chocoensis.
A critter that probably doesn't count because it was discovered a couple years back is the tiny Paedophryne amauensis, but I don't think any articles were published on them until 2012, so I thought I might toss it out there anyway. It boggles my mind when I try to visualize one of those...

Originally Posted by ~Just Curious~

Very neat article, thanks for sharing! New discoveries are so exciting and they were all fascinating, but I've always loved tree snakes, so my vote is going to have to go with Imantodes chocoensis.
A critter that probably doesn't count because it was discovered a couple years back is the tiny Paedophryne amauensis, but I don't think any articles were published on them until 2012, so I thought I might toss it out there anyway. It boggles my mind when I try to visualize one of those...

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed; that frog is beyond belief, to think that it has a heart, brain, lungs; I once encountered a pygmy shrew, same thoughts; a co-worker studied Kittie;s hog nosed bats in Thailand - the size of a bumblbee! On a related herp note, have you seen photos of the thread snake described in '08? Photo and some info here http://bit.ly/WNXzx9, enjoy, best, Frank

Wow, that is something! I've heard of thread snakes before, but I can't recall being familiar with the world's smallest, so thank you. It's not what first pops into a person's mind when they think "snake" and I absolutely love seeing that kind of variability, it's amazing how they adapt!

Photographing one of those tiny critters next to a coin or something similar makes it easier for me to imagine at home, but it's still hard to wrap my brain around it. They seem so fragile, I'd be worried about just breathing on them wrong...

Originally Posted by ~Just Curious~

Wow, that is something! I've heard of thread snakes before, but I can't recall being familiar with the world's smallest, so thank you. It's not what first pops into a person's mind when they think "snake" and I absolutely love seeing that kind of variability, it's amazing how they adapt!

Photographing one of those tiny critters next to a coin or something similar makes it easier for me to imagine at home, but it's still hard to wrap my brain around it. They seem so fragile, I'd be worried about just breathing on them wrong...

Same here, i was so surprised! So much out there, mind boggling; here's one on newly discovered inverts, enjoy, Frank