A rat believed to be extinct for 11 million years, a spider with a foot-long legspan, and a hot pink cyanide-producing "dragon millipede" are among the thousand newly discovered species in the largely unexplored Mekong Delta region.
The region, including parts of Vietnam and five other countries, is home to 1,068 species found between 1997 and 2007, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The organization's report "First Contact in the Greater Mekong" (PDF) says 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four turtles, two salamanders and a toad were found.
Some of the creatures were not lurking in fertile floodplains or tropical foliage. A scientist visiting an outdoor restaurant was startled to see a Laotian rock rat among the nearby wildlife. The hairy, nocturnal, thick-tailed rat, which resembles a squirrel, had been thought for centuries to be extinct.
Perhaps a more startling discovery than the rat was a bright green pit viper scientists spotted slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.
Below are several pictures of the creatures taken from this CNN photo gallery. See also this video from CNN discussing the discoveries. At the top of the post is a Youtube video from the WWF introducing the discoveries.
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