A hedgehog with vampire fangs and a ‘limestone eyelash viper’ among treasures discovered in the Greater Mekong

A hedgehog with vampire fangs or a snake with scales that look like long eyelashes are part of the 234 species of animals and plants discovered by researchers in the Greater Mekong region in 2023, reports this Monday the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

In its annual report, the environmental group documents the discovery of 173 species of vascular plants, 26 reptiles, 17 amphibians, 15 fish and three mammals in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, the latter being the country where the most species were discovered.

“Each of these species is a fundamental piece of a healthy and functional ecosystem and a jewel of the region’s rich natural heritage,” says Chris Hallam, wildlife director of WWF-Asia Pacific.

“Although these species were only described by science last year, they have been living in habitats unique to our region for many millennia.“, highlights the WWF representative in a statement that accompanies the report.

For its two sharp fangs, American researchers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, They named the new species of soft-skinned hedgehog discovered as ‘Hylomys macarong’, a Vietnamese word that means vampire..

While the viper ‘Trimeresurus ciliaris’ or ‘limestone eyelash viper’ was found in Tha Le Ban National Park, in southern Thailand, and its name takes as references the green and red scales over its eyes.

Among the plants, WWF highlights a new species of the ginger family that grows in the forest of the Thai province of Ubon Ratchathani, eastern Thailand, and whose root gives off an aroma similar to that of mango.

Many of these species are already in danger of extinction due to human activities.denounces WWF when requesting the governments of the region to increase policies to increase the conservation of species in their respective countries.