Fanged Frog and Other Bizarre Species Discovered

A fanged frog discovered in Thailand likely feeds on birds as part of its diet, as scientists have found feathers in the frog's feces. Credit: David S. McLeod.

A bird-eating frog with fangs, an alien gecko equipped with orange eyes and technicolor skin, and a flightless bird are among the 163 newly identified species discovered in Southeast Asia last year that are now considered at risk of extinction due to climate change, according to a new report by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF).

The report, entitled Close Encounters, spotlights species identified in 2008 within the jungles and rivers the Greater Mekong region, including 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and a bird.

"After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered," said Stuart Chapman, Director of the WWF Greater Mekong Program.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Leopard gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis): known only from the Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam, the striped animal has orange-brown "cat-like eyes" and spindly legs.
• Bird-eating fanged frog (Limnonectes megastomias): An opportunistic eater, this frog lies in wait for its prey in streams in Thailand. Males of the species use their fangs for male-to-male combat, as scientists have seen frogs with missing limbs and multiple scars.
• Nonggang babbler (Stachyris nonggangensis): Discovered in the rain forest of the Nonggang Natural Reserve on the Sino-Vietnamese border, the bird has in dark-grayish-brown spots on its white throat and upper breast. The birds walk most places, flying only short distances and typically just when frightened.
• Tiger-striped pitviper (Cryptelytrops honsonensis): The 1.6-foot- (half-meter)-long snake is straw-yellow in color with more than 90 zigzagged stripes along its body.

But no sooner are these new species discovered than their survival is threatened by the devastating impacts of climate change, the report warns.

"Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions," Chapman said. "Rare, endangered and endemic species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats."

The report adds to a growing body of research pinpointing the ecosystem changes occurring and predicted to occur as a result of climate change, from the Arctic to the tropics.

Over the next two weeks, government delegates will meet in Bangkok, Thailand, for the next round of United Nations climate-change talks in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, where the world is scheduled to agree on a new global climate treaty.

Read the full story here.

• Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming