Natural Environment Blog

The Gumprechts Green Pitviper is among the 1068 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Subregion between 1997 and 2007. Photo: Rene Ries.

More than 1,000 new species have been found in the Greater Mekong Subregion over the last 10 years, according to a report from WWF.

The report, entitled First Contact in the Greater Mekong,  says that 1068 species previously unknown to science were discovered in the region between 1997 and 2007.

WWF also say that potentially thousands of new species of invertebrate was also discovered during this period.

Highlights include the discovery of the world’s largest huntsman spider. WWF say the spider has a leg span of 30 centimeters across. That’s 12 inches - about the size of a dinner plate. 

The Gumbrechts Green Pitviper (Trimeresurus gumprechti), a bright green snake first described in 2002, was also a key discovery.

Another star discovery was the dragon millipede, which according to WWF, is “startingly hot pink” in color and produces cyanide.

The New Species

Among the new species discovered in the Greater Mekong were: 

• 519 plant species
• 279 fish species
• 88 frog species
• 88 spider species
• 46 lizard species
• 22 snake species
• 15 mammal species
• 4 bird species
• 4 turtle species
• 2 salamander species
• 1 toad species

Total Species Count in the Greater Mekong

According to WWF, there is more than 23,000 species of fauna and flora in the Greater Mekong.

These include:

• 20,000 species of plant
• 1,200 bird species
• 800 species of reptiles and amphibians
• 430 mammal species
• 1,300 fish species in the Mekong River basin

The Mekong River has more species per unit than the mighty Amazon. This photo was taken where the Mekong and the Nam Kahn rivers converge. Photo: Alcyon.

More Species Per Unit Than The Amazon

Although the mighty Amazon River contains more species than the Mekong River, the Mekong actually contains more species per unit than the Amazon.

This makes the Mekong, by length, the richest waterway for biodiversity on the planet.

Threats to The Greater Mekong

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) encompasses nations and territories located in Mekong River basin. These regions/territories are Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma and Yunnan Province of China

Conservation International has ranked the Greater Mekong as one of the top five most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Specific threats to the Greater Mekong include:

• forest conversion for agricultural plantations
• unsustainable logging and the illegal timber trade
• wildlife trade over fishing
• dam and road construction
• mining

WWF indicates that these threats are increasing due to accelerating economic development, population growth and increased consumption patterns of the region.

Full Report [pdf file, 7.26 MB]

This new species of deep sea coral grows to more than a meter high in depths of between 700 and 1,000 meters. Photo: NOAA, WHOI, the Alvin Group, and the 2004 GOA Expedition..

Marine biologists have discovered a new species of coral growing on the peaks of seamounts off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

The fan-like bamboo corals, discovered at depths of 700 to 1,000 meters (2,300 to 3,300 feet), were found to be growing to more than a meter tall. 

“They look really, really big when you’re underwater,” said marine biologist Peter Etnoyer of Texas A & M University.

According to Discovery News, the new species will be described and given a name in the upcoming December issue of Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.

Although the species is new to science, fragments of the bamboo coral have landed in the nets of fishing trawlers for years. 

The scientists observed the new coral species from Alvin - a deep-sea research vessel. From Alvin, they were able to observe long tentacles on its trunk billowing in the current. Etnoyer commented that this impressive sight is something that can only be seen and appreciated by looking at a living specimen.

Bamboo corals, which are part of the Isidella  genus, provide deep sea creatures with food, shelter, and a breeding ground.

About Deep Sea Corals

As the name suggests, deep sea corals are corals that live in deep seas. 

Most deep sea coral are found between 200 and 1500 metres deep but some species have been found more than 3000 metres deep. At these depths, it is usually pitch black and the water is very cold (usually between 4°c and 12°c degrees).  

Deep sea corals are found in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Unlike tropical corals that can grow up to 100–200 millimetres per year, deep sea corals grow very slowly. Some deep sea corals are known to grow at a rate of 4–25 millimetres per year.

About two thirds of all coral species are deep sea corals.

Deep sea corals were first discovered in the 18th century but, until recently, very little has been known about them. Recent advances in technology is starting to change that though, particularly with deep water trawling, advanced imaging systems, submersibles (such as Alvin), and advanced acoustic seafloor mapping systems.

The 'alien-like' Magnapinna squid, captured on remote video camera by the Shell Oil Company.

An “alien-like” squid has been caught on camera, 2.5 kilometers underwater, in the Gulf of Mexico by the Shell Oil Company.

The video footage, recorded from a camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), shows a rare Magnapinna squid with it’s long, shoulder-like arms dangling down below it. 

The footage, which had been circulating through the oil industry via email since November 2007 when it was taken, hadn’t been made public until National Geographic got hold of it earlier this week.

The squid has been dubbed the “Perdido squid” due to the fact that it was filmed at the Peridido drilling site. 

Species Unknown

Although it clearly belongs to the Magnapinna genus, it’s unclear which species the Peridido squid actually is. Both the M. M. atlantica and M. pacifica are known to inhabit the Gulf of Mexico so it is likely to be one of those.

This is the first time a Magnapinna squid has been sighted at an oil drilling site. 

Not much is known about the various Magnapinna species, as no intact adult specimen has ever been captured. 

Scientists speculate that their long arms are possibly used for feeding purposes. One theory is that the squid drags its arms along the seafloor to capture prey.  Another theory is that the squid simply waits for prey to get stuck on it’s long, dangly arms.

Due to the expense and difficulty in shooting underwater footage at these depths, some scientists have been entering formal partnerships with oil companies to share camera time on corporate ROVs.

Here’s the actual video footage taken from the ROV:

The newly described Typhlops tycherus is the largest blind snake in Mesoamerica. Photo: Josiah Townsend.

A blind snake previously unknown to science has been discovered in Honduras and described in the latest edition of the Zootaxa journal. 

The new species, called Typhlops tycherus, was found dead at the side of the road in February this year.

The snake was found in the Zona de Amortiguamiento (buffer zone) of Parque Nacional Montaña de Santa Bárbara, Departamento de Santa Bárbara, Honduras.

At a total length of 371 mm, the Typhlops tycherus is the largest blind snake in Mesoamerica.

According to the authors, other factors that differentiate this snake from other Mesoamerican Typhlops is that it has 22–22–22 scales around the body and it has a dark brownish gray dorsum with a well-defined pale yellowish gray to immaculate white ventral coloration.

The snake was described by Josiah Townsend, Larry Wilson, Lorraine Ketzler, and Ileara Luque-Montes.

This dolphin is a new species of bottlenose dolphin, which was discovered off the coast of Australia. Photo: Kerstin Bilgmann.

Scientists have discovered a new species of bottlenose dolphin swimming in the southern waters of Australia.

Researchers from the Macquarie and Monash university made the discovery while collecting genetic samples from what they thought were coastal bottlenose dolphins. After DNA testing 200 dolphins, they realized that these weren’t coastal bottlenose dolphins after all. 

“They look alike but they are genetically quite different,” said Luciana Moller, of Macquarie University. ”We were surprised.”

The discovery, which was reported in Molecular Phylogenetics And Evolution, is quite significant. It’s not often that a new species of large mammal is discovered.

“Large mammals are not discovered very often. It shows we still have a lot to learn about how many marine species are out there.” said Dr Moller.

Special Protection

Dr Moller believes the new dolphin species will need protection because of its limited range.

“Due to their coastal habitat, these dolphins are also more likely to face threats such as pollution, overfishing and entanglement in nets” she said.

Previously Known Bottlenose Dolphin Species

Until now, only two species of bottlenose dolphins were known. These are:

• Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), also known as the Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Bottlenosed Dolphin. Lives in most tropical to temperate oceans. Its colour is grey, with the shade of grey varying among populations; can be bluish-grey, brownish-grey, or even nearly black; often darker on the back from the rostrum to behind the dorsal fin.
• Indo-pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), also known as the Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin. Lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa; back is dark-grey and belly is lighter grey or nearly white with grey spots.

The following dolphins are sometimes recognized as a subspecies of the T. truncatus:

• Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (T. gillii or T. truncatus gillii), living in the Pacific; has a black line from the eye to the forehead
• Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphin (T. truncatus ponticus), living in the Black Sea.

The Researchers

The Macquarie University researchers are from the Marine Mammal Research Group, Graduate School of the Environment, and the Molecular Ecology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences.

The Monash University researchers are from the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) and Australian Centre for Biodiversity: Analysis, Policy and Management, School of Biological Sciences.

A newly discovered turtle species has provided scientists with a missing link between the terrestrial turtles from the Triassic period to the modern day aquatic turtles.

The discovery provides scientists with proof that aquatic turtles were roaming the earth at least 164 million years ago.

The new species, called Eileanchelys waldmani, was discovered after six fossils were found embedded in a rock on the Scottish Island of Skye.

“Although the majority of modern turtles are aquatic forms, it has been convincingly demonstrated that the most primitive turtles from the Triassic, about 210m years ago, were exclusively terrestrial.” said Jérémy Anquetin of the department of palaeontology at London’s Natural History Museum.

“Until the discovery of Eileanchelys, we thought that adaptation to an aquatic habitat might have appeared among primitive turtles but we had no fossil evidence of that.”

“Now we know for sure that there were aquatic turtles around 164m years ago. This discovery also demonstrates that turtles were more ecologically diverse early in their history than had been suspected before.”

The ancient turtle (Eileanchelys waldmani), in its natural habitat 164 million years ago. This illustration represents a reconstruction of the Kilmaluag Formation fauna (late Bathonian, Isle of Skye, Scotland).

About The Turtle’s Name

Anquetin, who was also one of the researchers who analysed the fossils, also created the name for the species. 

“I liked the idea of giving it a name in Gaelic, so I tried to find words that sound good in Gaelic and Latin.” he said.

“I chose ‘Eilean’, so the whole name means ‘the turtle from the island’.”

The Turtle’s Appearance

Mr Anquetin says that, although the ancient turtle would have resembled a modern freshwater turtle on the outside, on the inside there are key differences.

“The differences are on the inside - in the cranial anatomy. They are small differences but very important. There is no other turtle like this one.” he explained. 

Analyzing The Fossils

The six fossils were found at the bay of Cladach a’Ghlinne, on the Strathaird peninsula in 2004. Researchers from the Natural History Museum and University College London then cut the slab of rock away, painstakenly released the fossils from the rock, then analyzed them.  

The new species is the most complete Middle Jurassic turtle species ever described. The findings were reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The specimens are now being housed in the National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh.

The Waitaha penguin's extinction 500 years ago appears to have made way for the yellow-eyed penguin (above). Unfortunately, the yellow-eyed penguin is now an endangered species. Photo: Christian Mehlführer.

A species of penguin, previously unknown to science, has recently been identified in New Zealand more than 500 years since it became extinct. 

The species, called the Waitaha penguin (Megadyptes waitaha), is thought to have become extinct shortly after Polynesian settlement.

“It is estimated that the so-called Waitaha penguin became extinct between 1300 and 1500AD, soon after Polynesian settlement,” said Sanne Boessenkool, University of Otago PhD student and leader of the project.

Enter The Yellow Eyed Penguin

One of the most significant findings from the research is that, the penguin’s extinction appears to have made way for the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).

With an estimated 7000 remaining in New Zealand, the yellow eyed penguin is one of the most endangered penguin species on the planet.  

“Our findings demonstrate that yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand are not a declining remnant of a previous abundant population, but came from the sub-Antarctic relatively recently and replaced the extinct Waitaha Penguin,” said team member Dr Jeremy Austin, deputy director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.

“Previous analysis of fossil records and anecdotal evidence suggested that the yellow-eyed penguin was more abundant and widespread in the past, but it now appears they have only been around for 500 years,” he continued.

The presence of the Waitaha penguin appears to have limited the yellow eyed penguin’s population to the South Island of New Zealand.

“Competition between the two species previously prevented the yellow-eyed penguin from expanding northwards but environmental changes in the predator population, such as the severe decline of sea lions, may have facilitated their colonisation in the South Island” Dr Austin said. 

Relevance To Climate Change

The research has reiterated the idea that some species are more adaptable to major changes, such as climate change, than others.

“What these unexpected results highlight is the dynamic nature of ecosystem change, where the loss of one species may open up opportunities for the expansion of another.” said Dr Phil Seddon, Director of the Wildlife Management Programme at University of Otago.

Dr David Penny of the Allan Wilson Center for Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Massey University said ”…it is vitally important to know how species, such as the yellow-eyed penguin, are able to respond to new opportunities.”

“It is becoming apparent that some species can respond to things like climate change, and others cannot. The more we know, the more we can help.”

Findings of the research have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Census researchers from New Zealand hold giant Macroptychaster sea stars that can grow up to 60cm across. Photo: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, 2007.

Scientists are well on their way to releasing the world’s first Census of Marine Life (CoML), with astonishing discoveries continuing to being made and more than 5,300 new species found since 2003.

In fact, new species are being discovered faster than they can be described and named.

Discoveries aren’t just limited to new species though. Many of the surprising discoveries are related to distribution and abundance of known marine species throughout the world. 

Highlights of the discoveries will be officially released at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity being held in Spain this week. The conference, organized by the Census’s European affiliate program on Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning, will take place in Valencia between 11th and 15th of November.

In the meantime, the CoML fourth highlights report outlines some of the major discoveries.

Highlights

There are many highlights outlined in the report. Some of the major ones include:

A male sea spider carries its eggs on specially adapted appendages under its body; it is one of many possible new species from the Antarctic. Census researchers are trying to understand the evolutionary history of these curious animals. Photo: Cédric d’Udekem, Royal Belgium Institute for Natural Sciences 2007.

• “White Shark Café” - Scientists have discovered previously unknown behavior of white sharks travelling long distances to the Pacific each winter. During this time, the sharks will make frequent, repetitive dives to depths of 300 meters. While researchers are unsure of the reason, they suspect that it may have something to do with feeding or reproduction.
• Giant amphipod - During an expedition to the Antarctic, scientists discovered one of Antarctica’s biggest-ever amphipod crustaceans, measuring almost 10 centimeters long. The CAML scientists also found around 1,000 other species, including eighteen potentially new species. The discovery was made possible due to the collapse of the Larsen A and B ice shelves, which allowed the scientists to explore a 10,000 kilometer section of the Antarctic Weddell Sea.
• High percentage of new species - An Australian expedition - COMARGE “Voyages of Discovery” - resulted in a very high discovery rate of new species. Of the 524 Decapoda (crabs, shrimps, prawns, lobsters, etc) species found, 33 percent are thought to be new species. Furthermore, 25 percent are records in the region, and eight percent are records for Australia. 
• Giant oysters - The COMARGE explorers discovered dense communities of gigantic oysters. The oysters, thought to be a new species, are 20 cm long and reside at a depth of 700 meters.
• World’s deepest known active hot vent - ChEss scientists in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge explored the world’s deepest known active hot vent, field named Ashadze. The hot vent is over 4,100 meters deep, dominated by anemones, polychaete worms and shrimp.

Juvenile representatives of the Antarctic and deep-sea genera of octopuses. Clockwise from top left , (1) Pareledone charcoti, a shallow-water species from the Antarctica Peninsula, (2) Thaumeledone gunteri, a deep-water species endemic to South Georgia, (3) Adelieledone polymoprha, a species endemic to the western Antarctic, (4) Megaleledone setebos, a shallow-water circum-Antarctic species endemic to the Southern Ocean. Photo credit: I. Everson (T. gunteri), M. Rauschert (M. setebos), L. Allcock (P. charcoti. A, polymorpha).

Good Progress

A brightly colored comb jelly swims in the high Arctic waters of the Canada Basin. Photo: Kevin Raskoff, Monterey Peninsula College.

Scientists involved in the project appear to be happy with the progress so far.

“Not only do we have a better picture of the distribution of the animals that stay in place, we are approaching a global picture of the movements of animals, whether swirling in eddies the size of Ireland, or commuting 8,000 kilometers across ocean basins,” said Ron O’Dor Canadian squid expert and Census co-senior scientist.

“And understanding how behavior and the environment combine to determine the movement of many animals is within reach.” he continued.

French deep-sea explorer and vice-chair of the Census, Myriam Sibuet (France) said “The impressive number of landmark findings over the past two years reveals the richness of what remains to be discovered.  The vastness of the ocean and our new research tools keep marine biology forever young.”

About Census of Marine Life

The Census of Marine Life (CoML) is a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain life in the oceans. Including a global network of more than 2,000 researchers from 82 nations, the purpose of the initiative is to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life. The first consensus will be released in 2010.

The project was brought about by the fact that we still have relatively little knowledge about what lives in our oceans. To date, there isn’t a single list or database that contains all known marine species - let alone their distribution, and abundance. 

Scientists estimate that there could be more than a million marine species if all small animals and protists are included. To date, only about 230,000 species have been described and reside in jars in collections in museums of natural history and other repositories.

The 4th CoML highlights report will be officially released at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, Valencia, Spain, Nov. 11-15.

This tiny, new species of gecko was hatched from an egg found in Vanuatu. Photo: Associated Press/Francois Mori

An egg discovered in the Vanuatuan island of Espiritu Santo has produced a new species of gecko, according to France’s Natural History Museum in Paris.

The new species, which is about 3 inches long as an adult, has recently been described and named Lepidodactylus buleli. 

The museum says that this is the first time a new lizard species has been catalogued based on an individual raised from an egg.

The discovery came during an expedition to Vanuatu by the French scientists in 2006. The expedition to study the ecosystems of the forest canopy included climbers who scoured the canopy for plant and animal samples.

Ivan Ineich, a reptile specialist at the museum, said he first noticed the gecko when he saw a bloody carcass accidentally hacked in half by one of climbers.

“I said to myself ‘this guy looks bizarre,’ but I couldn’t tell right away it was a new species because it had been so massacred,” he said.

Climbers then found nine more eggs hidden in a plant by female geckos.

Following the discovery of the gecko eggs, the scientists carried the eggs from Vanuatu to Paris in a box lined with tissues. 

Unfortunately, eight of the nine geckos died due to low temperatures during a power outage, but one lived.