Overview
- Fauna & Flora, which released the findings Tuesday, led surveys of more than 60 caves across 10 limestone hills in western Cambodia.
- The team confirmed seven new species from the caves, including three geckos, two tiny snails, and two millipedes.
- Researchers also recorded rare and notable wildlife such as a flying snake and a reticulated python, while a vivid turquoise pit viper is still being formally described.
- The study combined daytime habitat checks, night searches for reptiles and invertebrates, DNA analysis, and camera traps to identify and track cave life.
- Scientists say isolated limestone hills function like islands that create unique species, yet quarrying, unmanaged tourism, fires, logging, and hunting threaten these sites, and only about 1% of karst areas worldwide are protected.