Never before seen – but about to vanish forever

Published Date: 26 September 2009

A BIRD-EATING fanged frog that lies in wait for its prey in streams and a bird that only takes flight when frightened are among newly discovered species whose future is threatened by climate change, conservationists have said.

A report by wildlife charity WWF revealed 163 species of plants and animals, including two mammals and a leopard patterned gecko with orange eyes and "technicolour skin", were found in the jungles and rivers of the Greater Mekong region last year.

But researchers are already sounding the alarm over the survival of the newly discovered species, with the Mekong delta thought to be one of the three deltas on Earth most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

WWF said rising seas and saltwater intrusion would have serious impacts on coastal areas in the Mekong River delta.

Recent studies also showed the Greater Mekong region is getting warmer, the charity said, and climate change is expected to cause more extreme weather such as floods and droughts, disrupt the availability of freshwater and affect species' ranges, migration and flowering.

The changing climate will add to existing environmental problems such as rapid development and logging in the region, where just 5 per cent of natural habitat remains, the report warned.

Heather Sohl, of WWF-UK, said: "It is great news that science is uncovering exciting and unusual new species like the fanged frog and the leopard gecko, but it is very worrying that no sooner do we find a new species, than we have to sound the alarm over their prospects for survival.

"Rare, endangered and endemic species like these will be especially vulnerable to climate change, which has the potential to reduce their already restricted habitats."

She urged world leaders to take action now to prevent "runaway climate change" and help protect wildlife-rich regions such as the Greater Mekong.

The Close Encounter report by WWF said 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and the Nonggang babbler bird, which was seen walking over rocks but rarely flying or in trees, were found for the first time in 2008 in the Greater Mekong.

Among the plant discoveries were two wild bananas, six orchids and 27 new palm trees, while the new animals included seven species of snake, a bat and a shrew.

The new discoveries add to the wealth of wildlife including the Javan rhino, Indochinese tiger and the Irrawaddy dolphin found in the region, where more than 1,000 species have been discovered in the past decade alone.

Scientists said there is so much wildlife there that some of last year's discoveries – such as the tiger-striped pitviper – were made entirely by accident by researchers exploring the region.

Dr Lee Grismer, of La Sierra University in California, said: "We were engrossed in trying to catch a new species of gecko when my son pointed out that my hand was on a rock mere inches away from the head of a pitviper.

"We caught the snake and the gecko, and they both proved to be new species."The Greater Mekong region spans Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and the south western Chinese province of Yunnan.