Scientists have discovered two dozen new species in a remote area of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, including an amphibious mouse with webbed feet and an unsightly spotted head fish.
A 2022 expedition to the densely forested Altomeo region of northwestern Peru recorded at least 27 species new to science for the first time, according to a recent report in Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program Biological Assessment Bulletin.
The new batch also includes an additional 48 species that may be new to science but require further analysis, the report said.
“Overall, the RAP team encountered unusually high levels of biodiversity, well above expectations, given that most of the study sites were located near communities and towns,” the report states, adding that the findings “highlight the importance of human The Importance of Research and Conservation”. Dominate the landscape. “
In addition to the amphibious mouse and the unusual-looking catfish, scientists have discovered another species of mouse with stiff, spiny fur. A squirrel that is only distantly related to other squirrels known to science, as well as a new species of bat and several species of fish, butterflies and amphibians.
Trond Larsen, director of Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program and director of Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Programme, said that while this is the first report by scientists describing these species, there are many experts in the area assisting scientists in their work. Aboriginal groups have extensive knowledge of many of these species.
“It’s great to work so closely with the Awajun people. They have a wealth of traditional knowledge of the forests, flora and fauna they coexist with,” Larsen told Reuters.
Larson and his team were understandably excited about discovering a previously unknown species — one of the squirrels was “a lovely, beautiful chestnut brown and very fast,” Larson added — and the report released by Conservation International also Highlights the need for more action to be taken to protest against endangered species.
The RAP paper notes that the exhibit also documents 49 species designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global authority on the issue, including two species of critically endangered monkeys.
In a section describing human activities that have contributed to the decline of many of the rare species documented in the report, the authors write that “threats including deforestation, expanded agriculture, and overexploitation (such as illegal hunting and fishing) continue to occur in Al Growing in the landscape of Tomeo.