Two new scorpion species found in Vietnam

Two new species of scorpions have been discovered in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh.  Dr. Pham Dinh Sac from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and Dr. Wilson Lourenco from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris have just discovered a species of scorpions, scientifically named as “Vietbocap thienduongensis Lourenco & Pham”, or “bo cap thien duong” (Thien Duong scorpion), in Thien Duong Cave located in the park. 

They announced their discovery in C.R.Biologies, no. 335, an international monthly magazine that covers all biological and medical research fields, earlier this year. In 2010, the two scientists also found another species of scorpions, named as “Vietbocap canhi Lourenco & Pham”, in Tien Son Cave, also located in the park. These two species of scorpions belong to the Pseudochactidae family. Only four species of scorpions of this family have been found in the world including Trogloghammousnanus in Laos, Pseudochatas in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and the two newly discovered species in Vietnam. Scientists have also discovered a new bird species and ten new species of plants in the park.

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Tigers Butchered for Trade at "Zoos" in China?

December 29, 2009--Tourists feed tigers at the Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Park, a private zoo in Guillin, China, in an undated photograph.

Many such tourist attractions secretly operate as fronts for illegal tiger farming, butchering captive tigers for their parts, National Geographic magazine reports in the January 2010 story "Asia's Wildlife Trade."

On the eve of 2010--the Year of the Tiger in Chinese astrology--the big cats remain highly coveted. A dead adult male can sell for U.S. $10,000 or more on the black market. Tiger bones and penises are often used in traditional medicines, and some restaurants serve tiger meat, including, a recent DNA test suggests, the restaurant at Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Park, according to the National Geographic magazine article.

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Rare Monkeys Spotted in Vietnam

The survival of a subspecies may be riding on these monkeys' backs. The largest known troop of gray-shanked douc langurs (above left)—among the world's most endangered primates, has been discovered in central Vietnam. (See Vietnam map.)

About a thousand of these tree-dwelling, tangerine-tinted animals, first identified in 1997, are thought to exist. Some live in captivity, such as the douc pictured above (right).

Until the recent expedition, led by a team of WWF and Conservation International scientists, only one other population with more than a hundred individuals had been recorded.

Since the team began the survey in 2005, they have counted at least 116 monkeys—and they estimate about 180 make up the newfound population.

But the scientists have surveyed just a small section of Quang Nam Province—meaning it's possible more endangered monkeys lurk in these forests.

"To put it into a human perspective, this discovery is like finding a new country with over one billion people in it," Ben Rawson, a Conservation International wildlife biologist, said in a statement.

"We now have a much greater opportunity to overcome the very serious threats faced by this species and prevent its disappearance from our planet."

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Hundreds of Rare Gibbons Found in Vietnam

A male northern white-cheeked gibbon (left) and a mother carrying her baby hang out in a treetop in Vietnam's Pu Mat National Park in a recent picture.

The animals are part of a newfound population of more than 400 of the gibbons, which are deemed critically endangered in Vietnam and Laos by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The gibbons, which have declined due to widespread hunting and logging of their habitat, are likely extinct in China.

Conservation International had been searching for the rare primates since 2008, finding only a few scattered groups—until now. New auditory sampling surveys—during which researchers record the calls of gibbon "families"—have revealed that Pu Mat is home to 130 gibbon groups, for an overall population of roughly 455 individuals.

The discovery of such a large gibbon population may mean the species has a better chance of long-term survival, the scientists say.

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Video about Javan Rhino Extinct in Mainland Asia

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Javan Rhino Extinct in Mainland Asia

The Javan rhinoceros is extinct in mainland Asia, conservationists announced this week.

An adult female Javan rhino was shot and killed in a Vietnamese forest last year—leaving just one wild population left of the species in the world, a group of fewer than 50 individuals in a small park in Indonesia.

"The last Javan rhino in Vietnam has gone," Tran Thi Minh Hien,Vietnam director of the nonprofit WWF, said in a statement. (Watch a video of the Javan rhino's road to extinction.)

In April 2010 park rangers discovered the remains of the female rhino, which appeared to have died only a few months before.

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Video about Ornithoptera

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World of Insect Giants: Giant Butterfly

The largest winged insect in the world is the Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterfly, with females being the larger of the species having a wingspan of up to 12 inches (30cm). Female Ornithoptera alexandra (the scientific name for these giant butterflies) are not as brightly colored as the exotic males, which have iridescent scales of green, lavender, and blue. Not only are these magnificent creatures extraordinarily beautiful, they are also very rare. Queen Alexandra birdwings are found living only in remote jungles of Papua New Guinea.

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Video about Giant Tarantula

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Biggest Spider: Goliath Tarantula

Goliath Tarantulas are Fearsome Predators

There's something about spiders that gives most people the creeps, instilling a sense of fear and loathing upon seeing one. It's as though there's a part of the human brain that perceives the form of a spider as dangerous or threatening. Perhaps those deep dark feelings we get when we see a spider are echoes of an ancient human behavioral response known as instinct. Most of the thousands of species of spiders on this earth carry a venom that is virtually harmless to humans, but there are a few species which carry a deadly venom.

Based on primitive human experiences a permanent message has been embedded in our genetic make-up, one that warns us that spider = danger. And when we see a spider that is as large as a dinner plate, we get the creeps big time (or maybe it's just me).

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