Varanus macraei turquoise-blue monitor lizard
Conservationists discover more than 1,000 species in New Guinea
Treasure trove of unknown varieties of animal, bird, fish, insect and plant have been identified in the forests and wetlands of the Pacific island over a period of just 10 years
By Tracy McVeigh, The Guardian (Observer),
Wattled Smoky Honeyeater (Melipotes carolae)
A new type of tree kangaroo, a 2.5-metre-long river shark, a frog withvampire-like fangs and a turquoise lizard are among hundreds of new creaturesfound and being documented in a report by conservationists working in thePacific island of New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea tree kangaroo
Some 1,060 previously unknownspecies of mammals, fish and birds have been spotted in thevolcanic island over a 10-year period.
The Final Frontier report, whichwas put together by WWF as part ofits 50th anniversary celebrations, marks a brief respite from the escalatingrate of animal and plant extinctions which is taking its toll across the planetand has left a quarter of all known mammals on the endangered list.
The species have all beendiscovered, at a rate of two each week, in the period from 1998 to 2008 by thevarious teams and researchers who have visited the region and its extensiveforests, waters and wetlands.
Snub-fin dolphin
One team discovered a new bird,the wattled smoky honeyeater, within seconds of leaving their expeditionhelicopter.
Perhaps the most extraordinaryfreshwater discovery is the species of river shark which, given its size, hasdone well to evade discovery until now. The shy fish has been named the Glyphisgarricki after the New Zealand zoologist Jack Garrick, who identified it.Because of its rarity it has immediately gone on to the endangered list.
River shark
In the salt waters a snub-findolphin that comes in a delicate shade of pink was spotted in 2005 and, aftermuch scientific measuring and debating, now qualifies as the first new dolphinspecies to be found in more than three decades.
Dr Mark Wright, conservationscience adviser at WWF, said the report was a fabulousreminder that "the world is full of fantastic and fantastical creatures,of quirky and improbable lifestyles. The more we look, the more we find".
Spilocuscus wilsoni cuscus (marsupial)
But he said that speciesdiversity was rich the world over. "Perhaps it is so commonplace we ignoreit, or maybe we've forgotten how to look. Let's take flies. Britain is home tomore than 5,000 species of fly, and these are not everyone's favourite, butflies represent 5,000 entirely different responses to life's challenges.
"For instance, the holly leafminer, whose nondescript larvae cause leaf blotching at this time of year –their entire world is limited to that tiny strip between the top and bottom ofa single leaf. Those same life processes that we go through – feeding, growing,breathing – are still acted out, but now crammed into a creature far smallerthan a grain of rice."
Orange snail
New Guinea is in an area known asthe "coral triangle", a region with the most diverse marineeco-systems on Earth. In the 10-year period in question, 33 new fish specieshave been found in the waters around the island, including the damselfish, astrikingly brilliant blue wrasse and seven species of zig-zag rainbow fish, an11cm-long creature which lives in shallow waters. In all, 218 new kinds ofplants – including a flesh-like orchid, 43 reptiles and 12 mammals, 580invertebrates, 134 amphibians, two birds and 71 fish have been found.
"It is precisely thatendless variety of form and function that enthralls me, but this exuberance ofnature is under threat," said Wright. "Despite the best efforts ofgroups like WWF, it is clear that we will not save all we would liketo.
"Forest will continue to befelled, rivers dammed and coastlines developed. And species will be erased.Some extinction is inevitable – a consequence of Darwin's 'natural selection' –but humans are imposing intense pressures, leading to 'unnatural selection'.Nature is struggling to cope, but we have the ability and power in our hands toforge a future in which the environment is truly valued – we must choose to doso."
New Guinea is the second largestisland on Earth, after Greenland, and is divided between the countries of PapuaNew Guinea and Indonesia. It holds the third largest tract of rainforest in theworld and is home to around 8% of the world's species.
But while its relatively lowlevel of human population had protected its species, illegal logging is nowprojected to strip the island of half of its forest cover by 2020.
Delias duria butterfly
To support WWF's anniversaryreport, writer and film-maker Stephen Poliakoff has made a short film whichwill include footage of some of the new species from New Guinea. Called AstonishMe, the film will be shown exclusively online by the Observer laterthis summer before being shown in Odeon cinemas as a short feature prelude tomajor films.
Poliakoff said that his drama – which starsBill Nighy – had been inspired by the new discoveries made in the naturalworld.
Litoria sauroni tree frog
"What astonishes me is thereare so many animals out there we are seeing for the first time from the verycolossal squid to the largest insect in the world discovered recently – it'sextraordinary in the 21st century that this is still going on. We think we knoweverything, but we don't," he said.
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