More than 1,000 "new" species discovered in Mekong

[villager]

Source: AFP

More than 1,000 species discovered in Mekong: WWF

BANGKOK (AFP) – Scientists have discovered more than 1,000 species in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region in the past decade, including a spider as big as a dinner plate, the World Wildlife Fund said Monday.

A rat thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago and a cyanide-laced, shocking pink millipede were among creatures found in what the group called a "biological treasure trove".

The species were all found in the rainforests and wetlands along the Mekong River, which flows through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

"It doesn't get any better than this," Stuart Chapman, director of WWF's Greater Mekong Programme, was quoted as saying in a statement by the group.

"We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books."

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081215/sc_afp/sciencethailandseasiawildlife_081215132156

[RCinBrooklyn]

1. Fabulous! Start the timer. I sat they are all gone in four years,.

[Sultana]

2. Exciting news

oh, look at this pretty snake...



:D

[Lautremont]

3. These are abominations of nature created by liberal doses of Agent Orange.

I say Beware! I've seen the movie Tarantula. I know what's going on here.

[villager]

11. One way or another, it must have something to do with the word "liberal!"

;-)

[pansypoo53219]

4. STRIPED RABBIT!

cool pink milipede.

[freedomnorth]

5. It seems the estimates of 200 million species are still standing. n/t.

[Doremus]

6. I could do without the spider.

;)

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Picture Gallery

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.
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At least 1,068 new species were identified in the Greater Mekong from 1997 to 2007,
including this wolf snake (lycodon sp.), Cardamom mountains, SW Cambodia

more here

[happyslug]

8. You mean 40 years after being bomb three time as much as Germany had been, things are still alive?

Remember how many bombs we dropped on Vietnam in addition to the agent Orange. I am amazed that any rare creature survived let alone the people.

[Wizard777]

9. Wow they have a really crazy 12 Days of Christmas.

519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad....... I'm guess it sounds better in Chinese.

[catnhatnh]

10. Hell, John Kerry...

May have squashed more than 50 of these species in his OD boxer shorts...half of them by accident while sitting.

[slackmaster]

12. Tagged for later consumption

When I have a little more time.