The World Wildlife Fund is a nonprofit known for its international conservation campaigns, from safeguarding huge swaths of the Amazon to rehabilitating the wild tiger population worldwide.
But the WWF has also been a critical resource when it comes to highlighting the importance of wildlife surveys in remote regions, and a new, groundbreaking WWF study revealed how much of the world is still waiting to be discovered.
The report, titled “New Life in the Congo Basin: A Decade of Species Discoveries,” breaks down the discoveries of 742 new species in the Congo Basin, the second-largest rainforest and river basin in the world.
“It gives me pleasure to introduce this report, which delves into the remarkable biodiversity of the Congo Basin — a vast and ecologically diverse region that spans the countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo,” Martin Kabaluapa, the WWF’s regional director of the Congo Basin, wrote in the foreword.
Assembled from data collected across a decade — from 2013 to 2023 — the report catalogs the existence of a slew of new plants, spiders, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
According to the report, researchers in the Congo Basin have discovered one new mammal species a year on average, including a new monkey species, four species of shrew, three mice, and two bats.
Of the mammals discovered, one included the Colomys lumumbai, an elusive semi-aquatic mouse with “kangaroo-like” feet, waterproof fur, and a bright, white belly.
Another notable discovery was the sighting of a new owl in Príncipe Obô Natural Park on Príncipe Island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.
Lead author Christian Thompson described the owl as a “charismatic” species that was small in stature, with “distinctive ear-tufts.”
“It inhabits tall trees, where it feeds on insects,” Thompson wrote. “Researchers say it has a distinctive ‘cat-like’ call which sounds like ‘tuu tuu,’ a call that is emitted at a higher pitch among the females of the species.”
When it came to the reptile branch of the animal kingdom, the study had plenty to report on, including 25 snakes, 10 geckos, three chameleons, two skins, one turtle, and a new species of crocodile — the Central African Slender-Snouted Crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus).
Thompson pointed out that the crocodile was once mistakenly surveyed as the West African slender-snouted crocodile, but careful analysis in “molecular sequencing” revealed that the species was “hiding in plain sight.”
“Journal papers show the animals’ genetics first diverged more than eight million years ago, as volcanos arose in and around what is now Cameroon,” Thompson said.
“This volcanic activity created impassable mountains that split the range of the reptiles in two, cutting off gene flow, and separating the two populations ever since.”
The study also detailed 101 new fish species — some of which produce electric pulses! — and an “incredible chorus of 22 new frog species,” from the long-fingered frog (Cardioglossa annulata) to the Upland Clawed Frog (Xenopus parafraseri).
One nocturnal frog species (Congolius robustus), found south of the Congo River, is considered “a flagship species for the central Congolian forests” and “a key indicator species for the health of the habitats found here.”
By far, the compilation of 121 new insects discovered accounted for the most “fun” sounding species names: from the Swordbearer Emperor (Anax gladiator), the Goldsmith Threadtail (Elattoneura aurifex), Bongo Leaftail (Phyllogomphus bongorum), and Blue-spotted Pricklyleg (Porpax mezierei).
Speaking of bugs, scientists were also excited to discover a new species of firefly (Afrodiaphanes pulcher) because they are on the decline globally, and each new discovery adds a glimmer of hope for the future of fireflies, which are pivotal to healthy, water-based ecoystems.
“Today, the greatest diversity of fireflies can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa where the tropical and equatorial regions produce great biodiversity hotspots,” Thompson said. “It’s very likely that a large number of firefly species have yet to be described and studied in Africa.”
A common thread throughout the report is the notion that there are still plenty of species waiting to be discovered.
“The rainforests of the Congo Basin and surrounding highlands are incredible hotspots of tropical diversity, but are also under great threat of habitat destruction,” emphasized WWF zoologist Julian Kerbis Peterhans.
“Based on our work to date, dozens of new species of rodents await discovery along with many species of bats, shrews, and other small mammals. These findings are critical for informed conservation of the Congo rainforests.”
It is also important to note that although many of these “new species” were unfamiliar to researchers, and previously unrecorded in taxonomy records, they were well known to the Indigenous communities that they have long traipsed through.
For instance, a monkey species called the Cercopithecus lomamiensis — a blue-bottomed monkey with a “booming” call — is known by natives of the Lomami Basin as the “lesula.”
“Known to locals for some time, but otherwise unknown to the international scientific community, the new species was only the second new species of African monkey to be discovered since 1984,” noted Thompson.
“For centuries, Indigenous communities in the Congo Basin have coexisted with these ecosystems, possessing deep knowledge of the flora and fauna that inhabit them,” Thompson added.
“Many of these species, while newly described in scientific literature, have been familiar to local communities through generations. Recognizing this knowledge is integral to conservation efforts, and WWF is committed to working alongside these communities to honor and preserve this shared heritage.”
The full report is 80 pages long, and Kabaluapa invited readers to take a look for themselves and scroll through to see stunning new photographs of the flora, fauna — and overall beauty of the Congo Basin — as a reminder of why we should continue to protect it.
“As we delve deeper into this report, let us celebrate the diverse life that exists in the Congo Basin and recognize the urgent need for conservation,” he encouraged.
“Our collective efforts can ensure that future generations inherit a world where the lesula monkey’s call still echoes through the canopy, and where the peatlands and forests continue to sequester carbon for the well-being of people and our whole planet.”
Header image via World Wildlife Fund / Jean-Francois Trape
