‘Unusually Large’: New Species Of ‘Alligator’-Like Lizard Found In Mexico

We have a new species of animal, ladies and gentlemen!

Recently, I wrote a piece about how a new species of dolphin has been discovered, and just a few days later, we have another animal discovery — and it’s “alligator”-like.

In the southern Mexico treetops, scientists found an “unusually large” animal that was scaly and similar to an alligator. Turns out, it’s a new species and wasn’t able to be detected due to being in the foliage.

Researchers were on the hunt for the exotic during five different expeditions between the years of 2015-2022 following “intriguing photographs” of the creature emerging in 2014, according to a PLOS One journal study. They highlighted that looking for the animal was “extraordinarily difficult.” (RELATED: A New Species Of Dolphin Has Gloriously Been Discovered — Ladies And Gentleman, Be Introduced To: Delphinus Pacificus)

For a whopping 350+ hours, researchers scouted for the lizard by climbing trees (evaluating canopy and limbs) and searching the ground, according to the Miami Herald. Eventually, they found the alligator-like animal and discovered that it was a new species, giving it the name of the Coapilla arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia cunemica).

The creature, which has a scaly yellow-brown body that’s covered by a darker shade of brown blotches, can grow up to 9.8 inches, according to the research. Their eyes are pale yellow and have dark flecks.