In an important discovery in terms of wildlife conservation and science, a group of wildlife researchers that include Tejas Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, has discovered a new species of gecko from Tamil Nadu. The discovery was published in the renowned scientific journal Zootaxa.

The new species is endemic to the town of Yercaud in the Shevaroy massif in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The researchers who are part of the team include Akshay Khandekar, Nikhil Gaitonde, Ishan Agarwal and Swapnil Pawar. They have been known in wildlife circles for their contribution towards new discoveries and research work. There is already a crab named after Tejas, Sahyadriana thackerayi.