EduAsiaNews, Battambang — The scientific world has been astonished by remarkable discoveries from the depths of Cambodia’s limestone caves. A recent survey in limestone caves in western Cambodia has uncovered a number of species previously unknown to science, including a turquoise-colored viper, a flying snake, several types of geckos, two species of micro-snails, and two species of millipedes.
The survey was conducted over several years, exploring more than 60 limestone caves in Battambang Province, western Cambodia, an area renowned for its karst formations—limestone cliffs that harbor caves and hidden ecosystems within them.
The survey was led by Fauna & Flora Cambodia in collaboration with Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment. Among the most significant findings are three new species of geckos, two micro-snails, and two millipedes that have been officially recognized as new species, while three additional geckos and a new viper species are still undergoing scientific description.
Professor of biology Lee Grismer of La Sierra University, California, who was involved in the research, stated that each isolated karst region functions like its own natural laboratory—where nature conducts the same evolutionary experiments repeatedly and independently.
The survey findings also confirm the presence of several globally threatened species, including the Sunda pangolin, Indochinese silvered langur, long-tailed macaque, and green peafowl, further underscoring the urgency of protecting these habitats. Scientists are urging the government to strengthen regulations on limestone exploitation for cement production, which increasingly threatens these unique ecosystems. (**)
(Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP), Cambodianess, Khmer Times, CNN, CBS News, Xinhua)
