A fish with curving vampire fangs, a gecko that looks as if it’s wearing lipstick and a carnivorous plant more than seven metres (23 feet) high may sound like creatures from a nightmare but they are real. They are just three of 145 new species found in the area surrounding Southeast Asia’s Mekong River in 2009 and highlighted in a WWF International report issued on Wednesday ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, this month. The diversity of the region, so rich that an average of three new species were discovered each week last year, also highlights the need for action to ensure these new finds survive, WWF International said.

Dracula fish, lipstick gecko among new Mekong finds. (2010, October 8-9). BusinessWorld, p. S3/9.