Hundreds of new species discovered in Eastern Himalayas

More than 350 new species, including a flying frog and the world's smallest deer, have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a WWF report has revealed. But this treasure trove of biological diversity is now threatened by climate change, it warns. The report, The Eastern Himalayas � Where Worlds Collide, describes a host of new species found over the last decade in the remote mountain region spanning Bhutan, north-eastern India, northern Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and southern parts of Tibet. They include 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds, two mammals and at least 60 invertebrates. "These exciting finds reinforce just how little we know about the world around us," said WWF conservation science advisor, Mark Wright. "In the Eastern Himalayas we have a region of extraordinary beauty and with some of the most biologically rich areas on the planet. Ironically, it is also one of the regions most at risk from climate change, as evidenced by the rapid retreat of the glaciers, and only time will tell how well species will be able to adapt � if at all." Among the discoveries are a bright green frog which uses its long red webbed feet to glide in the air, and the miniature muntjac or leaf deer. At just over two feet tall, the leaf deer is the world's smallest deer species. One discovery was anything but new: a 100 million-year-old gecko fossil found in an amber mine in Myanmar. The now-extinct species is the oldest type of gecko known to science.