A swimming mouse and a tree-climbing salamander are some of the 27 new species recently discovered in the Peruvian rainforest. The species were found in the Alto Mayo area of the Amazon forest and that many of them are mammals or vertebrates, it is something that amazes the scientific world.
– Those groups tend to be relatively well-known compared to insects, so discovering this many new species of mammals and vertebrates is incredibly special in an area that is so influenced by humans, says Trond Larsen, director at the Moore Center for Science.
Mysterious lump has scientists wondering
Among the new discoveries, there is one that stands out more than the others.
– My favorite of these new species is the lumphead fish. It has a large, fat lump as an extension of its head. The researchers have never seen anything like it and it is a mystery what the purpose of this lump is, says Trond Larsen.
In addition to the 27 confirmed new species, 48 potentially new species were also found, which the researchers are now studying for confirmation. And these are not the only ones.
Snake with eyelashes and hedgehog with fangs
As recently as Monday, it was reported that around 230 new species had been found along the Mekong River in Asia in the past year alone. It is about plants, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals that are published in a report from the World Health Organization WWF. Some are already known, but as they have never been documented scientifically, they are classified as newly discovered according to TT.
There is a palm viper, whose scales resemble long eyelashes, a crocodile salamander that thrives 2,000 meters above sea level and a hedgehog with soft fur and sharp fangs.
But despite the species being so new to science, many of them are threatened with extinction.
– Although the species have just been described by science, they have lived in the unique habitats of the region for many millennia. Each of them are important components of the ecosystem and need to be preserved. According to the Living Planet Report, the populations of wild vertebrates are disappearing at a rapid rate, we have to change that, says Louise Carlsson.