Courtesy of Trond Larsen of Conservation International/Handout via REUTERS
A team of 17 researchers spent two weeks in the Bolivian Andes assessing the ecosystem.
They found 20 new species never before identified in science.
The effort was part of Conservation International s Rapid Response Program to quickly research ecosystems in need of protection.
Scientists who explored an ecosystem high in the Bolivian Andes discovered 20 new species that had never been identified before, according to Conservation International, which ran the expedition.
A team led by biologist Trond Larsen hiked for two weeks through Bolivia s Zongo Valley, a region masked by clouds more than 10,000 feet above sea level, to assess the ecosystem.
20 New Species Found In Rediscovered Wildlife In Bolivian Andes
KEY POINTS
Zongo Valley is nestled in the Andes
It is covered by misty cloud forests and mountain peaks that measure 10,000 feet above sea level
A team of researchers explored it, enduring its rough terrain
The team identified 1,204 species, including 20 that were previously not known to science
A team of scientists explored Bolivia s Zongo Valley and identified a total of 1,204 species, 20 of which were new to science.
The Zongo Valley is covered by misty cloud forests and mountain peaks that measure 10,000 feet above sea level. For many years, it hid treasures within, including some species previously not known to science. But thanks to a team of researchers who braved its bumpy terrain for two weeks, some of these treasures were finally revealed.
Previously thought extinct, the devil-eyed frog is also found after over 20 years
A tiny frog measuring just 0.3 of an inch (10mm) long – less than the diameter of a 5p coin – is among the discoveries in a pristine section of the Andes mountain range in Bolivia.
The lilliputian frog may be the smallest amphibian in the Andes and among the smallest amphibian in the world, researchers say.
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The creature was found during an expedition led by US non-profit organisation Conservation International in the Zongo Valley near the city of La Paz in the South American country.
Researchers found a total of 20 species that were entirely new to science – including a mountain viper, a Bolivian flag snake , four orchids and four butterflies.
| UPDATED: 07:06, Thu, Dec 17, 2020
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An epic expedition to a mist-covered “cloud forest” landscape nestled in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes has catalogued more than 1,200 species, including 770 animals never before seen in this part of the planet. The landmark scientific research took place in the Zongo Valley – located approximately 10,000ft (1.8miles) above sea level in the eastern parts of the Cordillera Real mountain range.
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Biologists Discover 20 New Extinct Species Of Wildlife In Bolivia’s ‘cloud Forest’
Biologists took an expedition into Bolivian Andes near the Bolivian capital of La Paz, Zongo Valley, and spotted 20 new species of animals and plants.
Biologists have rediscovered scores of species that are rare, endangered, or extinct in the Bolivian ‘Cloud Forests’ including the Andes’ smallest frog and the venomous pit viper. An ecological SWAT team at the Conservation International took an expedition into the Bolivian Andes near the Bolivian capital of La Paz, Zongo Valley, and spotted 20 new species of animals and plants never spotted for several years. Scientists discovered mountain fer-de-lance viper, Bolivian flag snake, lilliputian frog, completely new to science in the cloud forests and four orchid and never previously seen butterflies. According to the release by the non-profit environmental group, the scientists were excited about the rediscovery of Oreo