Purring monkey and vegetarian piranha among 400 new Amazon species

Four years of scientific expeditions have found previously unknown animals and plants in world's largest tropical rainforest• New species of the Amazon rainforest - in picturesA purring monkey, a vegetarian piranha and a flame-patterned lizard are among more than 400 new species of animals and plants that have been discovered in the past four years in the Amazon rainforest, conservationists say.Discovered through hundreds of scientific expeditions between 2010 to 2013, the total of 441 new species – all new to science – includes 258 plants, 84 fish, 58 amphibians, 22 reptiles, 18 birds and one mammal. This tally does not include discoveries of insects and other invertebrates."The more scientists look, the more they find," said Damian Fleming, head of programmes for Brazil and the Amazon at WWF-UK, which compiled the list. "With an average of two new species identified every week for the past four years, it's clear that the extraordinary Amazon remains one of the most important centres of global biodiversity."Among the new species discovered is a "purring" Caqueta titi monkey (Callicebus caquetensis) of the Colombian Amazon, whose babies have an endearing trait: "All of the babies purr like cats," said scientist Thomas Defler, who helped discover the species. "When they feel very content they purr towards each other, and the ones we raised would purr to us."A "warpainted lizard" (Gonatodes timidus) was discovered in the part of the Amazon that extends into Guyana. Despit...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 23, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Jessica Aldred Tags: theguardian.com Colombia Deforestation Ecuador Biodiversity Peru Amazon rainforest Biology Americas World news WWF Trees and forests Brazil Endangered species Bolivia Endangered habitats Suriname Animals Plants Zoolog Source Type: news