12/16/2008
Wealth of New Species Found in Greater Mekong
Some good news from the natural world.
The Laotian Rock Rat (below and video) and a new species of striped rabbit (above) are among more than 1,000 to be discovered and identified in the last decade in the rainforest wetlands of the Greater Mekong, which bridges Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and China. The rat was believed to have been extinct 11 million years ago.
"Among the most bizarre to be discovered was a hot-pink, spiny dragon millipede, Desmoxytes purpurosea.. The millipedes have glands that produce cyanide to protect them from predators...A huntsman spider, named Heteropoda maxima, measured 30cm across and was found in caves in Laos. It was described as the "most remarkable" of 88 new species of spider located in Laos, Thailand and the Yunnan province of China...
More photos and video, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 10:07 AM EST by Andy Towle in Nature, News | Permalink
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Could the hot pink millipede be the new gay penguin? :)
Posted by: Chris | Dec 16, 2008 10:35:33 AM
Good that some of the species have been found to be not extinct. And I double dare the person(s) in the photos to place the centipede in their hands !
Posted by: SJ | Dec 16, 2008 10:47:30 AM
That rabbit would make a great hat!
Posted by: Rad | Dec 16, 2008 10:54:56 AM
Take a good look at them, because people who think like Rad (who I am sure was being facetious) are gonna wipe them out with a quickness.
Posted by: soulbrotha | Dec 16, 2008 11:15:43 AM
Rad that was so tacky!
A hat would be so showy.
I was thinking lining for a pair of Cole Haan driving shoes. Tasteful, luxurious, quiet and no pretenda guff from humourless homos.
It was a joke people!
Ha. Ha.
Posted by: Derek Washington | Dec 16, 2008 11:46:56 AM
I guess folks don't understand the meaning of "facetious".
Posted by: soulbrotha | Dec 16, 2008 12:21:58 PM
couldve definitely been ok with not seeing the pics of the spider and the hot pink millipede. gross ;)
sill cool tho that they are still discovering new species.
Posted by: Mike | Dec 16, 2008 12:55:36 PM
yay!! new aminals!!
Posted by: JS | Dec 16, 2008 1:15:43 PM
The dragon millipede has come out as the first openly gay insect in the world!
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/dragon-millipede-comes-out-of-closet/
Posted by: JPM | Dec 16, 2008 1:28:26 PM
As Mel Brooks says, "I don't play to the masses, I play to the old Jew in the back of the deli who laughs with that little piece of pastrami hanging off his teeth. THAT'S my audience."
Rad
Posted by: Rad | Dec 16, 2008 3:25:11 PM
Please tell me that cute rabbit eats kudzu. It could then be a WIN/WIN situation--raise an endangered species and get rid of an invasive pest. But it won't be long before the Chinese animal market/folk medicine types exploit local poverty and encourage poaching of these creatures.
Posted by: Contrarian | Dec 16, 2008 3:36:54 PM