Scientists Discover 24 New Species in Suriname

Every day news species are discovered in this amazing universe of ours. One can only wonder how many species of things there really are out there! I, for one, am content with just the following.

According to a recent Associated Press article, two dozen new species, including the atelopus frog which has distinctive purple fluorescent markings, six types of fish, one ant species and 12 kinds of dung beetles were found in the remote regions of eastern Suriname, which borders Brazil, Guyana and French Guyana. A 2005 expedition uncovered these species while in the process of bauxite excavation, the raw material vital to the production of aluminum. Two mining companies sponsored the study in the dense rainforest, which comprises some 80% of the country. One of them, Suriname Aluminum, has a government concession to explore gold in the area. The scientists who uncovered these new species were part of an expedition that was led by the US based non-profit, Conservation International, conducted in rainforests and swamps about 80 miles southeast of Paramaribo, the capital city of this South American land. The scientists called for better conservation management in areas where hunting and small-scale illegal mining is very common. It would seem that almost every day a new species of something turns up. They were always there hidden in the shadows, but did it ever occur to anyone that maybe, just maybe, these creatures don’t want to be discovered? What do YOU think?