Mountain creature with ‘prominent’ teeth found in stream in China. It’s a new species

Thousands of feet up on a mountain in southern China, a bumpy creature with “prominent” teeth sat in a stream. Something about the animal caught the attention of visiting scientists — and for good reason.

It turned out to be a new species.

Researchers hiked into the Hengduan Mountains of Yanyuan County in June 2023 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Sept. 16 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. The area was part of a biodiversity hot spot.

During the nighttime surveys, researchers found several unfamiliar-looking toads in some small streams, the study said. They took a closer look at the amphibians and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Oreolalax yanyuanensis, or the Yanyuan toothed toad.

Yanyuan toothed toads are considered “moderate”-sized, reaching just over 2 inches in length, the study said. Their backs are a “rough” texture, “scattered with large warts,” but their bellies are “smooth.” They have “prominent” teeth, “long” hind legs and multicolored eyes.

Photos show the brown and black coloring of the new species.

Yanyuan toothed toads live in small streams surrounded by “scrub and swamp” at elevations of about 9,800 to 10,500 feet, the study said. Researchers also found several tadpoles, suggesting these toads breed “in April or May.”

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Researchers said they named the new species after Yanyuan County where it was discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found. The county is in southern China’s Sichuan Province.

The new species was identified by its DNA, habitat, size, head shape, coloring, texture, fingers and other subtle physical features, the study said.

The research team included Yin Meng Hou, Pu Yang Zheng, Hao Qi Yu, Bin Wang, Xiao Hong Chen and Feng Xie.

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