WWF: 380 New Animal and Plant Species Discovered in the Mekong Region
In the Southeast Asian Mekong region, scientists have discovered 380 animal and plant species in just two years. Most of the "new" species were documented in Vietnam and Thailand.
The Mekong Region is a Treasure Trove for Researchers
In the Southeast Asian Mekong region, scientists have discovered 380 animal and plant species in just two years that had never been described before. Most of the "new" species were documented in Vietnam and Thailand, followed by Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The new discoveries show that the region is still "fertile ground for scientific exploration and a hotspot of biodiversity".
Among the previously unknown species are: the blue-headed beautiful lizard (Calotes goetzi) from Cambodia, which changes its color for defense; a frog species (Theloderma khoii) from northern Vietnam, which camouflages itself with a moss-like skin structure; an extremely poisonous snake (Bungarus suzhenae), named after a snake goddess from a Chinese legend; a mouse-eared bat (Myotis Hayesi) from Cambodia, the only mammal on the list.
In addition, beautiful flowers were discovered, such as the brightly pink-yellow mini orchid Dendrobium fuscifaucium (Laos) and new species of begonias and rhododendrons. Since 1997, around the mighty Mekong River, 3,389 previously unknown plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals have been documented.