DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The island of Hispaniola has been studied for over 500 years, and yet, there are still things to be found that are unique and not found anywhere else in the world. The most recent discovery was made by young investigators who were working in the Jaragua National Park in the southwest of the country.

Jaragua National Park is where Oviedo Lagoon, Enriquillo Lake and Bay of Eagles (Bahía de las Aguilas).

Off a key in the Oviedo Lagoon area, young researcher Miguel Landestoy discovered a little lizard with different characteristics. The lizard is now named “Lucia de Jaragua” lizard and is of the new genre of Guarocuyus jaraguanus, according to the article in Zootaxa, a scientific journal dedicated to fauna. The little lizard has a semi-prehensile tail, which is, indeed, unusual. A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold...