Species Discovery in Ecuador

Exploring some areas where virtually nothing is known about the reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates inevitably leads to some exciting discoveries. For instance, this is a snail-sucking snake of the genus Sibynomorphus that we captured in the dry forest in western Ecuador. We arrived on this site at 7:38 PM. By 8:00 PM, we found this snake, which may be an entirely new species to science.

Frogs such as this species of Eleutherodactylus are numerous in some extremely rare and rapidly dissapearing habitats. We have at least 25 species of these frogs for which we have been unable to identify to species. Many are likely new to science, but without our efforts they might be lost before ever being discovered..

We have amassed over 800 species of unidentified invertebrates as part of our work in Ecuador. We are busy identifying them as you read this, and have already identified three new species and a new genus of stick insect known only from our photos.

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