Over 1000 New Species Found in New Guinea

(Blue-eyed spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus wilsoni)

A fanged frog, a bright yellow snail and a blue lizard are among more than 1,060 new species recently found on the Melanesian island of New Guinea, environment group World Wildlife Fund said.

Among the new species discovered from 1998 to 2008 were 218 new kinds of plants (of which around 100 are orchids), 580 invertebrates, 134 amphibians, 2 birds, 71 fish (including an extremely rare 8-foot-long river shark), 43 reptiles and 12 mammals.

The bad news is that nearly all are at risk due to human activities, such as logging and forest conversion to agriculture.

“This report shows that New Guinea’s forests and rivers are among the richest and most biodiverse in the world. But it also shows us that unchecked human demand can push even the wealthiest environments to bankruptcy,” Neil Stronach, WWF Western Melanesia’s Program Representative, was quoted as saying in a press release.

He added, 'If you look at New Guinea in terms of biological diversity, it is much more like a continent than an island. Scientists found an average of two new species each week from 1998 to 2008 –- nearly unheard of in this day and age.'

Check out some of the recently discovered new species