A Vietnamese ‘crocodile lizard’ and a Thai turtle found on sale in a local market are among more than 100 new species discovered in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong Region last year, according to researchers.
The Southeast Asian countries flanking the Mekong River, which snakes down from the Tibetan plateau to the South China Sea, are among the most bio diverse in the world.
Each year, scientists announce scores of new species discovered in the region, which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
But there are fears that many more species could die out before they are found in a region whose jungle and river ecosystems are increasingly threatened by roads, dams and a thriving illegal wildlife trade.
In total, scientists confirmed 115 new species in 2016 after a lengthy vetting process, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
They include 11 amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles, 88 plants and three mammals.
