An expedition to a remote part of northern Australia has uncovered three new vertebrate species isolated for millions of years, with scientists calling the area a 'lost world'. Picture shows a boulder-dwelling frog on a rock on the rugged Cape
Picture shows a small boulder-dwelling frog, the Blotched Boulder-frog, which during the dry season lives deep in the labyrinth of the boulder-field where conditions are cool and moist. In the summer wet season it emerges on the surface rocks to
Highly camouflaged, the gecko sit motionless, head-down waiting to ambush passing insects and spiders. Within days of arriving, the team had discovered the three new species as well as a host of other interesting species that may also be new to
Picture shows the Cape Melville Leaf-tailed Gecko, which has huge eyes and a long, slender body, is highly distinct from its relatives and has been named Saltuarius eximius.
Picture shows one of the new species discovered - a shade skink. The Cape Melville Shade Skink is restricted to moist rocky rainforest on the plateau, and is highly distinct from its relatives, which are found in rainforests to the south.
While surveys had previously been conducted in the boulder-fields around the base of Cape Melville, the plateau of boulder-strewn rainforest on top had remained largely unexplored, fortressed by massive boulder walls. Another picture of the leaf
Photo shows a bizarre looking leaf-tail gecko that was discovered in the region. The highlight was the leaf-tailed gecko, a 'primitive-looking' 20 centimetre-long (7.9 inches) creature that is an ancient relic from a time when rainforest was more
In pictures: 3 new species discovered in remote Australia