World's Smallest Deer: 350 New Himilaya Species

by Jordan Yerman | August 10, 2009 at 06:24 am

6259 views | 3 Recommendations | 1 comment

Over 350 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himilayas in the last ten years, including the world's smallest deer (miniature muntjac) and a gliding tree frog. Outlined in a report by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), this list of findings includes fossilized remains of newly-discovered but presumed-extinct species as well.

The report covers discoveries made between 1998 and 2008.

The Eastern Himalayas report also mentions the miniature muntjac, also called the “leaf deer” (Muntiacus putaoensis) which is the world’s oldest and smallest deer species.

The discoveries from 1998 to 2008 put the region on par with the Indonesian island of Borneo as a “biological hotspot,” the WWF International said today in a report titled the Eastern Himalayas: Where Worlds Collide. The findings show the importance of protecting the area, which spans northern Myanmar and India, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet, the group said.

We already knew how rich the Himilay region was in terms of life, but we didn't know the extent.