‘Dragon’-like creature — able to change color — discovered as new species in India

As darkness fell across the mountains of northeastern India, a “dragon”-like creature climbed onto a branch and fell asleep.

But the night wasn’t restful.

Passing scientists noticed the sleeping animal — and discovered a new species.

Researchers hiked into the Himalayan mountains of Arunachal Pradesh in fall 2023 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Oct. 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. The region is “biodiversity rich but poorly studied.”

During the nighttime surveys, researchers found a pair of sleeping lizards on tree branches, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Calotes sinyik, or the Sinyik dragon lizard.

Sinyik dragon lizards are considered “small-sized,” reaching about 8.5 inches in length, the study said. They have “long,” “broad” heads with “short” snouts and “large” eyes. Their limbs are “long” with “slender” fingers and toes “ending in a strong, slightly curved claw.”

A photo shows the brown coloring of an adult Sinyik dragon lizard. Its lips have a greenish hue while some darker brown patches dot its back.

As researchers photographed the adult lizard, its color changed “to suit its dark surroundings.” At first, it “appeared dark greenish brown,” but within six seconds it “changed to a light brown shade … and several seconds later to a dark brown coloration,” the study said.

The juvenile Sinyik dragon lizard, however, did not change color, researchers said. Instead, it remained bright green with various brown spots dotting its sides and back. A photo shows this coloring.

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Sinyik dragon lizards live in the Himalayan mountains at elevations of over 4,100 feet, the study said. They were found sleeping at night on twigs and fallen tree branches roughly 5 feet off the ground. The surrounding area was largely cultivated land “periodically cleared of woody and shrubby vegetation.”

Researchers said they named the new species “sinyik” after the Tagin language name for the Subansiri River. “The Tagin are one of the major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and mainly inhabit Upper Subansiri District” where the new species was discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found.

Arunachal Pradesh is a disputed Indian state along the border with China. Although India controls the region, China also claims it. The state is about 1,300 miles east of New Delhi and about 3,200 miles southwest of Shanghai.

The new species was identified by its scale size and arrangement, body size and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 7% genetic divergence from other related lizard species.

The research team included Harshil Patel, Tejas Thackeray, Chintan Sheth, Akshay Khandekar and Ishan Agarwal.

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