h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In doing research about new species of animals discovered recently, it's been very interesting to note that there are still very poorly explored places here on Earth. When such places are at last explored, it is as if an entire new world is discovered! Here are some examples:

1. Mount Mabu in Mozambique. This is not a very high mountain, reaching about 1 700 m, but around it is a rain forest of about 70 square km/7 000 hectares, that is virtually undisturbed. This is the largest rain forest in Southern Africa. Decades of civil war in Mozambique has discouraged exploration, but using Google Earth, people from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew 'discovered' the forest (it shows up clearly, distinct from the surrounding cultivated regions) and identified it as a likely hotspot for biodiversity. They sent a team to explore the forest in 2008. This turned up 3 new species of butterfly, a new species of adder, other probable new species of animals, and plants as well. The forest also hosts populations of at least seven known endangered bird species.

2. Mount Bosavi in Papua New Guinea. This is actually a collapsed volcanic cone, about 4 km wide and 1 km deep. A team sent in 2009 to explore this forested 'basin' discovered about 40 new species of plants and animals, including an incredible 16 new frog species, 3 species of fish, several species of insects and spiders, a new bat, and a new giant rat.

3. The Foja Mountains, in the Indonesian part of New Guinea. The local people apparently do not ever climb these mountains ... the first people known to visit them did so in 1979, but they were only properly explored in 2005. This turned up a wealth of new species: a wholly new species of bird (the wattled smoky honeyeater), 20 frog species, four butterflies, five palms, and a new species of Rhododendron among others.

The expedition also saw some things for the first time although their existence was known: a kind of six-wired Bird of Paradise, and a kind of bowerbird with a golden crest, previously known only from traded skins; they also saw a rare kind of tree kangaroo, and long-nosed echidnas (a very strange kind of Monotreme, or egg-laying mammal) that were so tame they allowed themselves to be touched and picked up! This indicates that these animals were totally unfamiliar with humans.

These are just three ... I am sure there are still many such 'worlds' out there that we humans still have to fully 'discover'. I am sure that each of the above three 'worlds' still have many surprises ... the explorations were just a few quick trips, and certainly additional explorations will turn up even more species. ESPECIALLY of plants! We know the plant life of the Earth so poorly it's incredible. I am certain here where I live ... if I could only freely visit and explore some of the mountains over here ... there would be *dozens* of new plant species to discover!

At any rate, I'll continue my 'online explorations' and bring news of new animal and plant discoveries ... and if all goes well I'll also soon head out in the wild again for some *real* explorations of my own!

Willem, take a look here too:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2149221/bbcs_lost_land_of_the_volcano_discovers.html?cat=9

I haven't had to time see if there is a detailed report of their findings but I will have a look.


Websailor

Oh Willem

Jy is so slim!!

Marvellous reading Thank you so much for editing it and for writing such marvellous analysis of what you have read/found out.

I really loved reading it.

I look forward to reading much more from you.

With much affection

Christiane
Ar80

12/XII/09 19.25 GMT

I know you and Webby have been discussing your writing for Willem--something like this would be perfect! (I think your other journals are great too, it's just that I can see how this would have a wider appeal, especially if you feel that the others a a bit personal.) And it's different enough from Webby's Post articles that I don't see a problem that way...

Thank you Amy that was just what I was thinking. Thank you for commenting. I really think Willem's work deserves a wider audience and I thought this piece was ideal, and as you say not so personal. There would be no clash between us at all, especially as I don't think I am able to write every week, certainly not in the foreseeable future.

Websailor

Hello Folks! Yes, Websailor, the links you gave me, worked - thanks!

OK - I will try to turn this into a proper entry! If the links are to BBC sites ... they surely would allow them in the Guide, or ?

You can link to anything except blatantly commercial sites, which I don't think would be a problem with this sort of entry

Willem, I do all the time and have had no problem with but I am not sure about the Guide. Certainly no blatantly commercial sites or anything of a suspect nature but you wouldn't do that anyway.

I know they are not too happy with personal sites, blogs etc. and YouTube is usually put as a footnote, PDFs too if I remember rightly, but someone will put you right on that. BBC stuff is no problem.

Websailor

Hi WS

What do you mean by

"They are not too happy with personal sites"

What are personal sites?

Thank you for hopefully explaining it to me.

CME
AR 80

Sunday 13/XII/09 17.40 GMT

Christiane,

People have their own personal web sites or blogs (personal online diaries) which they can change at will and generally put pretty much anything on. These are accessible to anyone, but the information may not be reliable or even stay online for long, so not good for reference purposes.

Hope that helps.

Websailor

Websailor

well, it does a little.

How does one get/make/access the way to make a personal site?

AlsoRan80

There are lots of free sites available, and often one available from your Internet provider. I haven't done it myself so you would need to ask someone more knowledgeable Christiane.

Websailor

I looked and there is so much choice

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=free+web+sites+uk&meta=&aq=0sx&oq=free+web+sties

Websailor

Hello again everybody! I'll certainly just link to 'respectable' sites! Anyways didn't get time for all that today ... will see about tomorrow.