An extraordinary 380 new species of vascular plants and vertebrate animals were discovered in the Greater Mekong region in 2021 and 2022, said a report published in 2023 by WWF-Greater Mekong.
Of the number, 175 were recorded in 2021 and 205 in 2022 in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the same source pointed out.
According to the report, 290 species are plants, 46 are reptiles, 24 are amphibians, 19 are fishes and one is mammal. Among them, there are a colour-changing lizard, a thick-thumbed bat, a poisonous “Goddess” snake, an orchid that looks like a muppet, and a tree frog with skin like moss.
Vietnam registered most of the new species, or 158 of them, followed by Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, it added.
“The Greater Mekong is home to some of the planet’s most iconic and endangered species. New species are discovered here with remarkable frequency – over 3,300 since 1997,” the report said. AKP-C.Nika
Source: Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia
