VENEGAS PJ, CHÁVEZ G, GARCÍA-AYACHI LA, DURAN V, TORRES-CARVAJAL O (2021) A NEW SPECIES OF WOOD LIZARD (HOPLOCERCINAE, ENYALIOIDES) FROM THE RÍO HUALLAGA BASIN IN CENTRAL PERU. EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMATICS 5(2): 263-273. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.3897/EVOLSYST.5.69227
Males of a newly discovered lizard species come in different colors, including green and grayscale (pictured above).
Researchers in Peru recently discovered a striking species of wood lizard. They found the animal near the Huallaga (wah-YAH-gah) River in the northern part of the Andes Mountains.
The reptile, named the Feiruz (fay-ROOZ) wood lizard, comes in an array of colors. Males can have green and brown scales or light-gray and dark-gray scales, while females have brown scales. “Some wood lizards use their coloring to communicate,” says Omar Torres-Carvajal, a reptile expert involved in the discovery. During the mating season, males gain bright colors to attract female lizards.
The Feiruz wood lizards live in rainforests near croplands and cattle pastures. Peru has a great amount of biodiversity, or variety of life. But some areas of the country had not been well explored because of years of conflict. Scientists have been thoroughly exploring the region since the 2000s. Previously unknown species of plants and animals are being discovered often, explains Torres-Carvajal.