Peru, already home to over 290 lizard species, finds a new one

Peru, already home to over 290 lizard species, finds a new one.

Key points

• In July 2025, palaeontologists in Peru's Ocucaje Desert unveiled the fossilised skeleton of an ancient, dolphin-like creature estimated to be between 8 and 12 million years old.
• Scientists have discovered a new species of lizard in the Peruvian Andes, the Natural History Museum of San Marcos University remarked on Saturday.
• "The description of a new species represents a very important advance for biodiversity in our country, " biologist Ling Huamani-Valderrama.
• Peru is home to 296 species of lizard, according to the biologist.

Peru, already home to over 290 lizard species, finds a new one. AFP Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 4, 2026 12: 35am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Notably, the lizard measures between six and eight centimetres and has distinct colouration depending on sex.

While males have oblique spots and white scales that support them blend into their rocky surroundings, females have square-shaped spots on their backs.

In practice, the lizard feeds on plants and small arthropods, including spiders, beetles, true bugs and insect larvae.

Notably, the new species was discovered at an altitude of more than 4, 800 metres in the southern Andean region of Arequipa and was given the name Liolaemus archipensis.

"The description of a new species represents a very important advance for biodiversity in our country, " biologist Ling Huamani-Valderrama. This person led the research, informed AFP.

Peru is home to 296 species of lizard, according to the biologist. The discovery was published in the Swiss scientific journal Diversity.

For context, an "amphibious mouse" with partially webbed feet that eats aquatic insects was among 27 new species discovered during a 2022 expedition to Peru's Amazon, according to Conservation International.

Scientists additionally discovered a spiny mouse, a squirrel, eight types of fish, three amphibians and 10 types of butterflies, according to Trond Larsen, head of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Programme.

He continued that another 48 species identified by investigators were potentially new, but needed further study.

In short, peru, already home to over 290 lizard species, finds a new one is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.