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This Flat-Bodied South African Gecko Was a 'Lost' Species. It's Been Found After 34 Years
- In April 2025, two scientists from the Endangered Wildlife Trust located the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko once again on a secluded canyon ledge in Mpumalanga, South Africa, after it had not been observed for over a decade.
- The gecko had gone unseen since its first identification in 1991, with mystery and debate over its extinction or existence persisting for more than 30 years.
- After a two-year preparation involving six permit applications, the researchers camped for three days atop the canyon’s sheer cliffs, where they observed 20 to 30 geckos and documented seven specimens.
- The Endangered Wildlife Trust collected tissue samples and stated that this gecko was their fifth recent animal rediscovery, with data expected to confirm its distinct species status.
- This rediscovery highlights gaps in biodiversity knowledge, with Pietersen noting his frustration about data-deficient species and expressing elation over finding this elusive gecko after decades.
46 Articles
46 Articles
The Daily Progress
This flat-bodied South African gecko was a 'lost' species. It's been found after 34 years
Some doubted the species ever existed at all. But the Endangered Wildlife Trust says two of its researchers have found and photographed specimens of the Blyde Rondavel flat gecko.
Bristol Herald Courier
'Lost' gecko species found after 34 years
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Researchers who were dropped off by helicopter in a largely inaccessible and remote canyon in South Africa say they have discovered a type of gecko that hadn't been seen in more than 30 years and…
New gecko species discovered in S China
Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of gecko in the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, underlining the rich biodiversity of the island province's protected ecosystems.The dark green gecko was found during a field expedition in
Two new-to-science species discovered in Hainan
Two species previously unknown to science -- Ganoderma baisuzhenii and Craterellus albimarginatus -- have been discovered in South China's Hainan Province, the results of a year-long biodiversity survey released Friday in Sanya city by the Hainan Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment.
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