‘Bent-toed’ creature found lurking near farm in Vietnam. It’s a new species
As darkness stretched across some farmland in southern Vietnam, a scaly creature with “slender” limbs and “bent” toes climbed along some nearby rocks. Its “large” eyes scanned the surrounding landscape, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Passing scientists noticed the lurking animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers visited the town of Ayun Pa in July 2022 as part of a project to survey reptile diversity, according to a study published Aug. 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
During a nighttime survey, researchers found six lizards “near the farming area of local people,” the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, analyzed their DNA and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus ayunpaensis, or the Ayun Pa bent-toed gecko.
Ayun Pa bent-toed geckos can reach over 7 inches long, the study said. They have “short” bodies with “moderately slender” limbs. Their heads are “relatively wide” and “flattened” with a “long” snout and “large” eyes.
Photos show the brown pattern of the new species. Its head has “small, irregularly shaped dark brown blotches,” and a “thin” band runs around its neck. Its back has several “irregularly shaped bands,” researchers said.
Ayun Pa bent-toed geckos were found “on stacked granite rocks and cliffs” near some farmland, the study said. Much about their lifestyle and behavior remains unknown.
Researchers said they named the new species after the town Ayun Pa where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. Ayun Pa is in southern Vietnam and a roughly 270-mile drive northeast from Ho Chi Minh City.
Like some other bent-toed gecko species, the new species is “currently threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and potential hunting by local communities to raise as pets,” the study said. “Therefore, population assessments and the development of appropriate conservation strategies are urgently needed to ensure the long-term survival of these narrowly distributed species.”
The new species was identified by its size, scale pattern, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 12% genetic divergence from related species.
The research team included Thuong Huyen Nguyen, Hong Bich Ha, Matthew Murdoch, Jesse Grismer, L. Lee Grismer and Vinh Quang Luu.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 10:31 AM with the headline "‘Bent-toed’ creature found lurking near farm in Vietnam. It’s a new species."
