A New Species of 'Crocodile Newt' Has Been Discovered — Here’s What That Means

Researchers describe the new species as having "large" eyes and "v"-shaped teeth, according to a new peer-reviewed study

A brand new species has been discovered in China.

Researchers initially noticed the creatures while studying amphibians at the Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve in China's Hunan province between 2021 and 2023, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Herpetosoa, the official journal of the Austrian Herpetological Society. (Heptology is the branch of zoology focused on reptiles and amphibians.)

In the journal, the amphibians — which grow up to 5 inches in length — are described as having large eyes, "short and blunt" snouts, narrow heads, and teeth arranged in a "v" shape. They also have "rough" skin. Researchers later confirmed that the newly discovered critters are a new species of "crocodile newt," an amphibian named for their resemblance to crocodiles.

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Photos of the species show that the newts have black, bumpy skin and orange toes, fingers, and tails.

Scientists initially noticed the newts mating in rice paddy fields and confirmed they were a new species with molecular testing. So far, the animals have only been found in the Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve.

The species has officially been named tylototriton gaowangjienensis, or the Gaowangjie crocodile newt.

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Due to advancements in molecular and DNA testing, an increasing number of new species—both living and extinct—have been discovered in recent years. According to CNN, almost 1,000 new plant and animal species were discovered in 2023 alone.

"Yet a million more species remain imperiled due to human-driven activities like habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution," Scott Sampson, the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences, said in a statement to the outlet. "We must document the Earth's living diversity so that we can work to protect it."

While most new species discovered each year are insects, new snails and ghost sharks have been identified in 2024.