Asia-pacific

Mekong region's animal oddities under threat

Scientists discover fairy tale-like creatures in one of world's most-threatened rainforest ecosystems.
Last Modified: 18 Dec 2012 18:20

The Mekong River spans from China to Southeast Asia, supporting thousands of freshwater, forest and wetland species.

The World Wide Fund for Nature has recently released a list of 126 newly discovered species in the region last year.

Among the new species are the kind of oddball animals generally found in children's books. For example, a singing frog and a walking fish.

These discoveries underscore the vibrant ecosystems of the Greater Mekong Region, but scientists are quick to point out that these creatures live in one of the world's most-threatened areas.

Al Jazeera’s Gerald Tan reports.

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