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Conservationists say they have rediscovered a leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus maresi) on Rábida Island, a small, hilly outpost in the middle of the archipelago in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Tge tiny, land-dwelling creatures were locally extinct, so they were overjoyed to find several members of the species alive and well during expeditions on Rábida Island in 2019 and 2021.
A small, elusive lizard is bouncing back following the eradication of invasive rats on an island in the Galápagos.
Leaf-toed gecko is secretive and petite, with adults measuring a little more than three inches long, reports NewScientist’s Graeme Green. For decades, researchers thought the nocturnal lizards had died out on Rábida Island before humans discovered the Galápagos in the early 16th century. The only proof the geckos had ever lived on the island came from fossilized remains that were between 5,700 and 8,540 years old, the researchers write in the paper.
Meanwhile, rats were introduced to Rábida at some point within the last 50 years and began decimating the island’s native plants, birds and reptiles. If any elusive leaf-toed geckos were still hiding out somewhere on the island, the arrival of the invasive rodents likely left little hope for their survival.
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