Report: The search continues
© © Dr Indraneil Das
This tree frog, Polypedates chlorophthalmus, is one of the species new to science in Borneo.
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At least 52 new species of animals and plants have been identified this past year on the island of Borneo, according to scientists.
The discoveries, described in a report compiled by WWF, include 30 unique fish species, two tree frog species, 16 ginger species, three tree species and one large-leafed plant species.
Many of these creatures new to science are amazing: a miniature fish – the world’s second smallest vertebrate, measuring less than one centimetre in length and found in the highly acidic blackwater peat swamps of the island; six Siamese fighting fish, including one species with a beautiful iridescent blue-green marking; a catfish with protruding teeth and an adhesive belly which allows it to literally stick to rocks; and a tree frog with striking bright green eyes.
Several of these new species were found in the “Heart of Borneo”, a 220,000km2 mountainous region covered with equatorial rainforest in the centre of the island.
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