A total of 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, 7 amphibians, 2 mammals, and 1 bird were all discovered within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. The extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam, recently confirmed by WWF, is a tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in the region. “This report is an affirmation of what we know—that the Greater Mekong offers unparalleled diversity in nature—and what must be done,” said Rebecca Ng of WWF’s Greater Mekong Program.
– It's a region that produces a new species every other day: Carnivorous plants that can eat mice, birds, and lizards. An all-female species of lizard that reproduces by self-cloning. Brightly colored geckos bathed in orange, yellow, blue, and green markings. A noseless monkey that looks like it's wearing an Elvis wig. These are just a few of the 208 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year, reports the World Wildlife Fund. Stretching from Yunnan province in southern China to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand, the Greater Mekong region is full of biodiversity, but is under increasing pressure from development, the WWF warns. The recent extinction of Vietnam's rhinoceros population has spurred concern for rare wildlife in the area. "This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity, but also one that is extremely fragile,” a WWF official tells Time. “It’s losing biodiversity at a tragic rate."