http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/ ... 448385.phpBy DPA
Dec 15, 2008, 9:11 GMT
Bangkok - More than 1,000 new species, including the world's largest huntsman spider and the Laotian rock rat, have been discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia between 1997 and 2007, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) revealed Monday.
The huntsman spider has leg span of 30 centimetres, and the rock rat was previously thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago, according to the report, First Contact in the Greater Mekong.
Some of the 1,068 newly discovered species were found in surprising places, said the report.
'The Laotian rock rat, for example, thought to be extinct 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market, while the Siamese Peninsula pit viper was found slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand,' the WWF said.
The Greater Mekong region comprises southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The new species identified include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad.
'We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books,' said Stuart Chapman, director of WWF's Greater Mekong Programme. 'This reaffirms the Greater Mekong's place on the world map of conservation priorities.'
The report stresses economic development and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand to ensure the survival of the region's array of species and natural habitats.
'This poorly understood biodiversity is facing unprecedented pressure. For scientists, this means that almost every field survey yields new diversity, but documenting it is a race against time,' said Raoul Bain, biodiversity specialist from the American Museum of Natural History.
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Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
maybe we should hire these people to look for Ken lay & Osama Bin Laden if they can find a rat they are the people I want to work for me. you see they say ken Lay is dead I think he is alive they say Bin Laden is alive I say he is dead amazing isn't I always go against the grain that what makes me tick
- beer monkey
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Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
Ken Lay = En'RON'...something you not telling us.
Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
B.M I would swap my year pension for 1 hour of his % money and trust me I would spend the rest of my time in luxury on that amount of money but we are getting off topic Donthani nice photos I want to say to you You seem to be very good at graphics Merry Christmas
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Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
Don't know why the WWF are so suprised ...... with all the "left over" somtam that must end up thrown in the Mekong, I'm not at all suprised that so many creatures have mutated into a completely different species
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Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
lol...what doesn't end up being tossed in the Mekhong.
Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
Thank you aznyron, and a merry Christmas and happy new year to youby aznyron on December 16, 2008, 9:03 am Donthani nice photos I want to say to you You seem to be very good at graphics Merry Christmas
Last edited by donthani on December 17, 2008, 3:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Over 1,000 new species discovered in Mekong River region
More evidence that global warming is killing off everything.
I read a newspaper article in the last week that said that 'record cold temperatures across the US again this year is proof that we are experiencing global warming.' Using that logic, I would have to say that finding all of these new species along the Mekong River means that species are dying off in record numbers.
I read a newspaper article in the last week that said that 'record cold temperatures across the US again this year is proof that we are experiencing global warming.' Using that logic, I would have to say that finding all of these new species along the Mekong River means that species are dying off in record numbers.