11 New Species Discovered in Vietnam

Proving that the natural world is still filled with life unknown to science, the WWF announced yesterday that it had discovered 11 new species in the remote the tropical forests of the Annamites Mountain Range in central Vietnam. The species include two butterflies, five orchids and other plants and a snake that live no where else in the world but in the so-called Green Corridor of Thua Thien Hue Province.

Another 10 plant species may prove to be unique as well, but are still undergoing analysis. Several new large mammal species were discovered in the same forest in the 1990s, "which means that the latest discoveries may be just the tip of the iceberg," Chris Dickinson, WWF''s Chief Technical Adviser in the area, said in a statement made available to the press. A Loris, previously discovered in Vietnam's "Green Corridor" Leonid Averyanov / WWF Greater Mekong

Recent surveys have shown that many threatened species are found in the Green Corridor, including 15 reptiles and amphibians and six bird species. The area is also home to Vietnam''s greatest number of white-cheeked crested gibbons, one of the world''s most endangered primates, and is believed to be the best location in Vietnam to conserve the saola, a unique type of wild cattle only discovered by scientists in 1992. An Acanthosaurus lizard, previously discovered in the region Leonid Averyanov / WWF Greater Mekong

The rain forests in the region have been untouched for thousands of years. The region is currently under threat, however, from illegal logging, hunting, unsustainable extraction of natural resources and conflicting development interests, according to WWF. “The area is extremely important for conservation and the province wants to protect the forests and their environmental services, as well as contribute to sustainable development,” Hoang Ngoc Khanh, Director of Thua Thien Hue Provincial Forest Protection Department, said in a statement made available to the press. Here's a look at the new discoveries:

• Snake: The white-lipped keelback, a snake that tends to live by streams where it catches frogs and other small animals. It has a beautiful yellow-white stripe that sweeps along its head and red dots cover its body. It can reach about two-feet, six-inches in length.Raoul Bain / WWF Greater Mekong
• Butterflies: The butterfly species are among eight discovered in the province since 1996. One is a skipper -- a butterfly with quick, darting flight habits -- from the genus Zela, the other is a new genus in the subfamily of Satyrinae.Alexander Monastyrskii
• Orchids: Three of the new orchid species are entirely leafless, which is rare for orchids. They contain no chlorophyll and live on decaying matter, like many fungal species. The other new plants include an aspidistra, which produces a flower that is nearly black. Aspidistra-relatives plants are used as houseplants and are able to withstand very low light conditions. And a newly discovered species of arum has beautiful yellow flowers. Arum plants have funnel-shaped leaves surrounding the flowers. Leonid Averyanov / WWF Greater Mekong

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