If we learned anything last year it was to expect the unexpected with armchair travel almost becoming the norm, but the concept of the unexpected is nothing new to the world’s biologists.
Previously unseen species come to light more often than you think in the realm of science as these dedicated researchers trawl the depths of DNA in search of something new.
These are the creatures that came out of the woodwork last year.
- The world’s tiniest group of primates, native to Madagascar, just got a new member when Jonah’s mouse lemur joined the family.
- The 10mm Lilliputian Frog came to light in the tunnels beneath the moss and humus of the Zongo Valley Forest in Bolivia.
- Meanwhile, in Madagascar, the 10 cm Mantidactylus radaka frog was brought to light by local villages.
- After hours of lab work, scientists identified a new primate species, the Popa Langur living in the forests of Myanmar.
- The Himalayas yielded a new species of green pit viper, namely Salazar’s Pit Viper, named after a character in the Harry Potter series.
- A new species of gecko, namely the Bicol hollow-dwelling forest gecko, revealed itself on the Philippines island of Luzon.
- All told, 15 new Acrotaphus wasps were discovered in the Andean cloud forests and Amazon rain forest.
- An orchid specialist discovered 19 new species of tree-dwelling orchids in New Guinea.
- In Namibia, an entirely new family of plants was unearthed, namely Tiganophytaceae – a unique evergreen shrub.
- A night-time survey of Yala National Park brought the Yala giant scorpion to light.
- In Ha Giang, Vietnam, a new species of burrowing snake, Achalinus zugorum, was unearthed.
- A tiny purple tree-spider crab Leptarma biju was found in the mangroves of India’s Chithari River.
Many of the species new to science are nothing new to the local folk who live in areas close to them. So, it goes to show that if you really want to learn something about your environment, the indigenous folk should be your first port of call.
New Discoveries Await
If you’d like to explore your world a little further than your armchair discoveries and perhaps add a few new species to your personal species list, get in touch.
We can arrange your travels to all the most interesting and diverse destinations in southern Africa.
