New Species With 'Hieroglyphic' Pattern Discovered Among Sand Dunes

A brand new lizard species with a hieroglyphic pattern on its back has been discovered among the sand dunes in eastern Iran.

The discovery, which was detailed in a study in the journal Zootaxa on November 10, was made back in 2010 in the South Khorasan province of the desert, while researchers were conducting a survey for local reptiles and amphibians.

The researchers found a total of 10 strange-looking lizards in the sand dunes, all with an unusual pattern on their skin. They discovered that it was actually an entirely new species, now named Eremias graphica, or the "hieroglyphic racerunner lizard."

The new species is named using the Greek word "graphikos," according to the study, as reported by the Miami Herald. This translates to either "drawn" or "written," and was used because of the lizard's strange pattern which resembles hieroglyphs.

Hieroglyphs are generally associated with Ancient Egypt, though other forms of writing also exited at the time.

The researchers found that most of the lizards were about 7 inches long and were easily disguised in the sand dunes due to their sandy coloring, according to the study.

The researchers, who are from multiple organizations from across Russia and Iran, analyzed 93 genetic samples from the lizards in the desert.

"We hypothesize that the diversification of the Eremias fasciata species complex was largely influenced by the fragmentation of sand massifs in the region," an abstract from the study read. "This same hypothesis has been used to explain the high level of endemism among the sand-dwelling species of reptiles along the Iranian Plateau in the same area. The two new species described herein can be distinguished from other congeneric species by their phylogenetic position and a combination of morphological characters. We use these data to discuss the taxonomy of Eremias based on morphology, habitat choice, and genetic data."

The study noted that the lizards can mainly be found scuttling around the vegetation found in the sand dunes, the Miami Herald reported. They can also be found burrowing for shade and shelter. The researchers reported that they typically eat insects.

Closer analysis of the creature showed that it was most active during some hours in the morning, and evening. During the rest of the day, it tends to hide under the bushes of the sand dunes.

So far, the new species has only been found near one road near the city of Tabas, in central-eastern Iran.