Sneezing Monkey and Walking Fish Among Exciting New Species Discovered
A wildlife report by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) titled Hidden Himalayas: Asia’s Wonderland has confirmed the discovery of over 200 new species in the Eastern Himalayas, during the period of 2009 – 2014. The region well known for its diverse ecosystem and remarkable fauna is home to some weird and wonderful finds – the “sneezing” monkey from Burma and the “walking’ fish from West Bengal.
The new species were discovered in the region covering Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, southern Tibet and north-east India. Majority of the new species found were plants (133), followed by invertebrates (39), fish (26), amphibians (10), reptile (1), bird (1) and mammal (1).
The endangered snub-nosed monkey, nick-named “Snubby”, is the biggest primate of its kind. Although there are variants of snub-nosed monkeys in China and Vietnam, the new species Rhinopithecus strykeri is characterized by an upturned face, almost making them appear nose-less. The snub-nose feature becomes an inconvenience when it rains – water entering their nostrils inevitably leads to sneezing. According to the report, snub-nosed monkeys were seen to tuck their heads between knees when it rains, a strategy they have engineered to minimize rainwater entering their noses.
The blue dwarf snakehead “walking” fish Channa andrao is capable of surviving on land for up to four days. Despite their ability to breathe air on land, they are more comfortable in the water and prey on victims in the deep. They are aggressive by nature and writhe and wriggle when moving, giving the impression of walking.
Other notable discoveries included the spotted wren-babbler bird (Elachura Formosa), a beautiful turquoise-eyed frog (Leptobrachium bompu) and a lance-headed pit viper snake (Protobothrops himalayanus) with a unique red-brown color pattern.
In its report WWF has warned of the dangers posed to an already fragile ecosystem in the region by climate change, rising population, deforestation, pollution and industrial development. WWF has stressed the importance of preserving the ecosystem before nature’s riches are lost altogether.
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