A furry bat named after a notorious Star Wars character, bombardier beetles that unleash explosive, foul-smelling gas to defend themselves, ants that can't walk or stand on flat surfaces and a mysterious cave-dwelling frog that runs instead of hopping.
These bizarre and wildly
interesting creatures are just some of the 1,200 species of animals and
plants that have been documented for the first time by scientists in the
Gorongosa National Park, a stunning biodiversity haven in central
Mozambique.
In mid-April, a team of
15 local and international scientists ventured into the park's
spectacular rolling woodlands, deep gorges and riverine forests to
conduct the first comprehensive biodiversity survey in a remote and
largely unexplored area that was ravaged by years of war and poaching.
For about four weeks, the
biologists were transformed into nature detectives surveying the
Cheringoma Plateau, the part of the park that was least known
biologically. Armed with rubber boots, headlamps and a huge variety of
sophisticated equipment, they embarked on a painstaking mission to
document life in the area and discover the rare, threatened and
new-to-science species that live in it.
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