A flying frog and a tiny deer were among the incredible 350 new species discovered in the eastern Himalayas in the past decade, according to the WWF. And, though we may have just recently found out about them, these species are already threatened by human activities in the region.
From Yahoo News:
In a report released here, it said climate change, deforestation, overgrazing by domestic livestock and illegal poaching and wildlife trading threatened one of the biologically richest areas of the planet.
“In the last half-century, this area of South Asia has faced a wave of pressures as a result of population growth and the increasing demand for commodities,” said the report, “The Eastern Himalayas — Where Worlds Collide.”
“Only 25 percent of the original habitats in the region remain intact. For the unique species of the Eastern Himalayas, this means that today 163 are considered globally threatened,” it said.
The WWF said 353 new species were discovered in the region between 1998 and 2008, among them a red-footed tree frog known as a “flying frog” because its large webbed feet allow it to glide when falling.
The deer, called a miniature muntjac, stands just 25-30 inches tall. Another fascinating discovery was a limbless amphibian that resembles a giant earthworm and lives deep underground.
Unfortunately, it’s becoming all too common to discover new species and find that they are already seriously endangered. A tiny monkey called Mura’s saddleback tamarin that was discovered just last month is in danger of extinction due to the development of the Amazon rainforest.
It just goes to show that there are so many treasures on this earth that we’ve yet to uncover, and we need to do everything we can to preserve them.
Link [Yahoo News]
Photo credit: WWF
