VietNamNet Bridge – Scientists have discovered 100 new tree types, 28 specie of fish, 18 specie of reptiles, 14 specie of amphibians, two mammal specie and one species of bird in the Mekong river basin since 2007.
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The spotted gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis) on Cat Ba island. |
IIn total, around 1000 new species of animals have been discovered in this region in the 1997-2007 period, reports the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
“After millions of years in existence, these animals are now known to us. Perhaps the Mekong region has many other species waiting to be discovered,” says Stuart Chapman, director of the WWF’s Greater Mekong project.
WWF’s researchers warn that climate change threatens the living environment of the flora and fauna in the Mekong River basin, in addition to poaching, environmental pollution and deforestation.
The most unique species that have been discovered in this region are frogs that have teeth named Limnonectes megastomias, the spotted gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis) on Vietnam’s Cat Ba island, the tub-nosed bat (murina harpioloides) in Vietnam and the Nong gang babblers in the tropical forests along the Vietnam-China border.
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A Limnonectes megastomias frog. |
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