Three new salamanders discovered in Costa Rica: 07-01-2008
Scientists in Costa Rica have discovered three new species of salamander in remote cloud forests.
The amphibians, which include a dwarf salamander that measures just the width of a fingernail, were found in La Amistad International Park.
According to reports from National Geographic, the discoveries were made last year by scientists from the Natural History Museum in London.
Alex Monro, of the museum, said that there are now 45 known species of salamander in Costa Rica that probably do not exist anywhere else on the planet.
"This area hadn't been explored, so they just weren't known before. These particular species will have very small ranges," he added.
One of the new species has a bright red back and yellow blotches down each side and resembles the marking of poison arrow frogs, according to Mr Monro.
The new species were discovered along with 5,300 plant, insect and amphibian species that were recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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