More than 1,200 new species of plants and vertebrates have been discovered in the Amazon over the past decade – a new species every three days – according to a new WWF report, Amazon Alive! The new species include 637 plants, 257 fish, 216 amphibians, 55 reptiles, 16 birds and 39 mammals, confirming that the Amazon is one of the most diverse places on Earth.
I find it amazing and inspiring that there are still so many plants and animals to discover. On the other hand, it is also disturbing, because most of these unknown species were found in the Amazon, an area endangered by human deforestation. During the last 50 years, humans have caused the destruction of at least 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest – an area twice the size of Spain.
Visit this blogpost to see their great collection of pictures of recently discovered animals.
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