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Costa Rica National Park Jungle Uncovers New Salamanders

Eleven unknown species of animals and plants, including three new types of salamander, have been found recently in Costa Rica.

Scientists discovered three species of salamander in the La Amistad National Park on the Costa Rica-Panama border, bringing the total number of salamander species in the Central American country to 43.

The researchers also uncovered several new species of plant during their three expeditions to explore and record the animals and plants of the region.

Two of the new salamanders are nocturnal, feeding at night, and are both of the genus Bolitoglossa.

The first is eight centimeters long and black with a large red stripe down its back and yellow spots on its side. The second is six centimeters long and brown with a cream underside.



The third newly discovered species is a type of dwarf salamander, of the genus Nototriton, and is a tiny three centimeters long - small enough to fit on a thumb nail. It is red-brown in color, with black markings on its side.

La Amistad National Park, where the species were found, is a Unesco World Heritage Site in the most remote part of the Talamanca Mountains, with treacherous terrain and a lack of roads.

It is thought some two thirds of all Costa Rica's native wildlife lives there, including more than 600 bird, 250 reptile and amphibian, 215 mammal and 14,000 plant species.

The 400,000 hectare Costa Rica National Park has no human inhabitants and is a "relatively pristine" condition, according to Alex Monro of the Natural History Museum who is leading the expedition to explore it.



The scientists' exploration is part of a project funded by the UK Government, working in partnership with Costa Rican and Panama institutions to record the area's biodiversity to allow effective conservation.

Dr Monro said: "Finding so many new species in one area is exciting, particularly as this is probably the only place in the world you can find these animals.

"These are important discoveries because the park has not been well studied and it is largely unknown. In order to manage the park in the long term, it's really important to know about the biodiversity and how localized it is."

Dr Monro said the newly discovered species were almost certainly confined to the local area and were a significant find in terms of the region's amphibian biodiversity.

"Amphibians have suffered a global decline in the last 15 to 20 years and Central America and this Costa Rica area, the Talamanca Mountains, are a centre of diversity for a number of amphibians including salamanders."

He added: "It shows we still have a lot to learn about the variety of wildlife in this region. We have four more expeditions planned this year - who knows what we could find when we go back?"

The species will be named by scientists at the University of Costa Rica, where the specimens will be studied.

There are several hundred species of salamanders, including newts, across the world, principally in the northern hemisphere, with many species living in watery environments or moist forest habitats.

Despite similarities in their appearance to lizards, they are amphibians with tails and have the ability to regenerate lost limbs.

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