(VNF) - Up to 87 out of 163 new species found in the Greater Mekong region were discovered in Vietnam, which proves the country is rich in biopersity and home to a perse array of species.

According to a report released on Monday (Dec. 19^th) by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 163 new species were discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year, including 87 in Vietnam alone.

The report, Species Oddity, documents the work of hundreds of scientists who discovered nine amphibians, 11 fish, 14 reptiles, 126 plants and three mammals in the region, which also includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Among the highlights are a bat found in the Central Highlands of Vietnam with thick and woolly fur on its head and forearms, a rare banana species from Thailand, a tiny frog from Cambodia and a gecko with pale blue spotted skin and piercing dark eyes found hiding among the remote mountains of Laos.

A woolly bat from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, with thick and woolly fur on its head and forearms. (Photo by Nguyen Truong Son/WWF)

There were 376 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region in 2014, of which 99 were found in Vietnam, making up around 27 percent. This time, 87 out of 163 new species were discovered in the country, accounting for nearly 53 percent.

“The Greater Mekong region is a magnet for the world’s conservation scientists because of the incredible persity of species that continue to be discovered here,” said Jimmy Borah, Wildlife Programme Manager for WWF-Greater Mekong.

“These scientists, the unsung heroes of conservation, know they are racing against time to ensure that these newly discovered species are protected.”

The Greater Mekong region is under intense development pressure from mines to roads to dams, threatening the survival of its unique natural landscapes. Poaching for bushmeat or the multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade puts additional pressure on the region’s wildlife, meaning many species could be lost before they are even discovered.

Van Ngoc Thinh, Country Director of WWF Vietnam, said in a statement that the new discoveries proved that Vietnam is one of the most bio-perse countries in the region, and the discovery of 87 new species in 2015 shows that there are still more amazing discoveries to unlock.

These discoveries were officially described as new species in 2015. However, scientists typically wait to reveal new finds until an animal or plant is officially described and peer reviewed – a time-consuming process – hence the lag between the initial discovery and announcement for some species in the report.

The total number of new species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians discovered in the region stands at 2,409 since WWF began compiling new species reports in 1997./.

( Compiled by VNF )