In the eastern Himalayas, between India and China, there is a place that hasn’t been explored very much. And now a  decade of research done by scientists have discovered 353 new plant and animal species.  From a flying frog to the world’s second smallest deer.

In 2005 they discovered this bird. It was located south of the Tibetan border in Burma’s Kachin State. They call it the “Naung Mung scimitar-babbler” (Jabouilleia naungmungensis). The midsize forest bird uses its big bill to scratch the ground in search of food. It’s like a cross between a small bird and the New Zealand Kiwi.

This little frog has a giant pair of mesmerizing golden eyes, it was discovered in 1999.  It is 1 of 5 new frog discoveries in the Indian state of Assam. It measures just a few centimeters.  Reminds me of the tree frog, but not so green.

It’s mostly because of the political state of nations that these animals were able to hide out so long.  The Eastern Himalayas reaches across Bhutan and northeast India to the far north of Myanmar (Burma) as well as Nepal and southern parts of the Tibet  (taken by China).

There is also an interesting miniature deer, call the Leaf deer. Photos of them are very rare. It is half the size of deers we are used to seeing in the U.S.

This place also reminds me of the Andes, where there are lots of miniature animals such as deers and also other odd looking creatures.

Despite the good news, these animals are also being threatened by humans as the population continues to grow rapidly. There is also deforestation and mineral mining which puts the jungle in danger.  It’s sad to see the animals being endangered just when they have just been discovered too.

All photos from World Wildlife Fund.  There is more slideshow of  these genuine jungle dwellers at WWF.

Read the press releases here.