New species discovered in Papua New Guinea

// October 7th, 2010 // Recent Research, Science Communication

Image by Piotr Naskrecki/iLCP

This katydid is one of the new species discovered in Papua New Guinea during a recent expedition by Conservation International.

Another katydid had huge spiky back legs, which it stuck in the air and jabbed at attackers. The researchers discovered it was quite painful.

Their goal was to rapidly identify new species and give an indication of the wealth of biodiversity in PNG. It gives them ammo when approaching governments and seeking help in conserving the area. Here is a video from a herpetologist (someone who studies frogs, not herpes!) about his experiences. The first bit is a little boring, but then they start sneaking up and pouncing on insects and such which is lolz to watch.