The “ghost monkey” and the orange-colored reticulated python that feeds on snails are among the 224 new species discovered along the Mekong River, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
According to AP, this report was published by WWF on January 26 and emphasizes the urgent need to protect the rich habitats and biodiversity of the Mekong River region, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Most of the species on this list were discovered since 2020, but WWF did not release a report last year. In 2021, a new mammal species was discovered in the area, the Popa langur – referred to as the “ghost monkey” – which inhabits the now-extinct Popa volcano in Myanmar.
The list includes dozens of new species of reptiles, amphibians, and fish, as well as 155 plant species, including a succulent bamboo species discovered in Laos. Some species are found across multiple countries, such as the orange reticulated python that specializes in eating snails.
The orange reticulated python specializes in eating snails. (Photo: AP).
The natural environment of the Mekong region has long been renowned for its biodiversity, home to many rare species such as Indochinese tigers, Asian elephants, saolas, and thousands of other endemic species.
Including the latest list, scientists have discovered over 3,000 new species in the Mekong region since 1997, according to WWF.
Scientists also compared the new species with specimens from various museums around the world to identify similarities and differences with previously discovered species.
Thomas Ziegler, who is responsible for the specimens at the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Cologne, stated that such research processes will help determine the habitat range of the species and the threats to their survival.
The Popa langur is the only mammal species on WWF’s list of newly discovered species in the Mekong region. (Photo: AP).
The Popa langur was identified based on genetic samples compared with those from the Natural History Museum in London, collected over a century ago.
Two main features of this new monkey species are a ghostly white ring around the eyes and a white beard around the mouth.
WWF, in collaboration with the Fauna & Flora International (FFI), first discovered the Popa langur using camera traps in 2018. FFI officially announced this discovery last year.
Although it is a new species, the Popa langur may soon be listed as critically endangered, as only 200-250 individuals remain in the wild.
Despite habitat loss and human encroachment into tropical forests, much of the Greater Mekong region remains unexplored. Each year, it is estimated that dozens of new species are discovered in this area, which is a rare piece of good news amid the growing extinction crisis facing many species worldwide.
