New Species in Eastern Himalayas

Over the past decade, more than 350 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, according to a new report by scientists working for the WWF.

The WWF report, "The Eastern Himalayas -- Where Worlds Collide," details discoveries made by scientists from various organizations between 1998 and 2008 in a region reaching across Bhutan and northeast India to the far north of Myanmar as well as Nepal and southern parts of Tibet in China.

The report describes more than 350 new species discovered, including 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds, two mammals and at least 60 new invertebrates.

The Eastern Himalayas harbor a staggering 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish. The region also has the highest density of Bengal tigers in the world and is the last bastion of the charismatic greater one-horned rhino.

Below are some pictures of the various new species taken from this gallery.

A male Gumprecht's green pitviper:



Orange-spotted snakehead (Channa aurantimaculata), endemic to the forest streams, ponds, and swamps adjacent to the Brahmaputra river in northern Assam:



Asian Babbler:



The miniature muntjac, also called the "leaf deer," which is the world's oldest and smallest deer species. Scientists initially believed the small creature was a juvenile of another species but DNA tests confirmed it was a new species:



Naung Mung scimitar-babbler:



Zaw's wolf snake:



Flying frog (Rhacophorus suffry):



Original article here. WWF report here.