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Himalayas - new species
Over 300 new species discovered in Himalayas in past decade
Article published on the 2009-08-10 Latest update 2009-08-10 15:51 TU
Smiths litter frog (Leptobrachium smithi)
(Photo: Milivoje Krvavac/WWF)
Frogs, deer and monkeys ... These are just some of the species discovered by scientists in the eastern Himalayas over the past decade, the World Wildlife Fund announced Monday. The eastern Himalayas region is considered a global biodiversity hotpot, where many species groups have been inadequately studied due to its remote location, according to WWF.
Over the last decade, scientists have discovered some 353 species of wildlife, and many more reptiles and fish are in the process of being named. The biodiversity of the eastern Himalayas is on a par with Borneo, according to WWF's new report, Western Himalayas: Where Worlds Collide.
Researchers have found "an eclectic mix of amphibians" from Tibet, Nepal, Myanmar, India and Bhutan, with many found at more than 1,000m above sea level.
Unfortunately, due to climate change and other factors such as haphazard development and population growth, these newly-found species are already under threat of extinction.
Illegal logging, overgrazing, illegal poaching and badly-planned infrastructure significantly contribute to the destruction of ecosystems.
"Only 25 per cent of the original habitats in the region remain intact," according to the report.
Smith's litter frog (see above) was found in the Indian state of Assam in the Mayang Hill Reserve Forest and Garbhanga Reserve Forest. The numbers of this tiny frog is already declining due to forest clearance and stream pollution.
Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugnorum)
(Photo: Christopher Millensky/WWF)
One-tenth of all bird species worldwide are found in the Eastern Himalayas. A recent significant discovery is the Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum), an Asian babbler found in India. It is the first species found in India since 1948.
The other significant bird discovery has been found in the rainforest area of Naung Mung township in northern Kachin State, Myanmar. This wren-like bird has big feet and a long, curved bill that it uses to look for food on the ground.
A signicant discovery for the primate world is the Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala), found in the Arunachal Pradesh area of India.
Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala)
(Photo: Anindya Sinha/WWF)
It is one of the highest-dwelling monkeys in the world, found between 1,600m and 3,500m above sea level.
Some 242 plant species have been documented over the past 10 years too, including 15 new bamboo species and 46 species of fern.
One of the most talked about discoveries in the eastern Himalayas is a 100 million-year-old gecko (Cretaceogekko burmae), the oldest fossil gecko species ever found.
This discovery is important because it changes the way scientists perceive geckos, according to WWF. This species "has the foot proportions and adhesive toe pads found in modern geckos ... providing evidence that modern geckos had already evolved 100 million years ago."
miniature Muntjac deer (Muntiacus putaoensis)
(Photo: Alan Rabinowitz/WWF)
The world's smallest deer species, the miniature montjac deer (Muntiacus putaoensis) was found in Myanmar in 1999 and stands at only 60-80cm tall and weighs 11 kilos. As one of 11 known living montjac species, this "is the oldest known deer group, first appearing in fossil record 15-35 million years ago," according to the report.
