Lost Worlds and New Species

With so many species endangered and dying off due to man's encroachment on their natural habitat, it was with much happiness that I ran across a story on MSN about an expedition to a remote corner of Indonesia awash with rare and new species.

Scientists are dubbing this newly discovered region as a modern day “Lost World” where man may have never stepped foot and a cornucopia of species has burgeoned as a result. 

Eleven scientists from Australia, Indonesia, and America helicoptered into the area last December.  Shortly after landing, they identified the very first bird that flew by them as a new species.  Over the course of their expedition, they would come to discover 20 new species of frogs and four new butterfly species.  They also came across what is believed to be largest rhododendron flower ever discovered (six inches across) and a Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo that was believed to be extinct.  In addition, the expedition not only snapped the world’s first photographs of a male Berlepsch’s Six-Wired Bird of Paradise, but also captured its never-before-seen mating dance. 

Many of these fascinating creatures can be seen in a wonderful slide show on the MSN site.  Check them out now before logging efforts encroach on their virgin lands and they disappear from this planet once again. 

Filed under: Activism, Indonesia