Illustration of a frog.

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Meigneux / SIPA

During a two-week expedition in the mountains of Bolivia in 2017, a team of 17 biologists discovered 20 new animal and plant species.

These scientists unveiled the results of their mission this Monday, December 14 on the site of the environmental NGO Conservation International, reports Numerama.

Specialists have notably identified new specimens of butterflies, snakes, bamboo and orchids.

The researchers also unearthed a hitherto unknown "Lilliputian frog".

The latter, with a size of 1 cm, was difficult to spot because of its color similar to that of moss and humus.

. @ ConservationOrg & @LaPazAlcaldia scientists weren't only uncovering new species of wildlife in the Bolivian Andes.

During this expedition they also discovered FOUR ENTIRELY NEW SPECIES OF ORCHIDS, all of which are as important to science as they are beautiful.

pic.twitter.com/Cd4OXkuyl8

- Conservation Intl (@ConservationOrg) December 14, 2020

A butterfly reappears a century later

The unearthed species have been observed near the town of La Paz.

“Imagine a bustling and populated urban center just 50 kilometers from a pristine valley brimming with biodiversity,” marveled Trond Larsen, who co-led the expedition.

In this "area [which] has become a refuge" for animals and plants, biologists have also been able to observe species that had not been seen for so long that they were sometimes believed to be extinct.

This is for example the case of a plant that had not been recorded for 127 years, or even of a butterfly which has not been found for 98 years.

So many species to discover

This "remarkable rediscovery of species that were believed to be extinct" illustrates, according to Trond Larsen, how sustainable development "can guarantee the long-term protection of biodiversity".

The species discovered during this successful taxonomic mission can be found in photos here.

A total of 71 new specimens were identified in 2019. It is estimated that 7 to 8 million species inhabit our planet.

The vast majority of them have not yet been described scientifically.

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