Secrets of the karst: new species found in Cambodia’s limestone caves – in pictures
A survey has revealed the vast array of wildlife – some never seen before – living within the south-east Asian country’s karst ecosystems. The work was led by international wildlife conservation charity Fauna & Flora in collaboration with Cambodia’s environment ministry and field experts.
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
Phnom Laang Spean cave in Battambang province, amid a karst landscape formed of rocky limestone hills and caverns. The habitat features a number of unique characteristics caused by the dissolving of the rock, including large cave springs, sinkholes and sinking streams.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
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#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
Researchers Sothearen Thi and Phyroum Chourn at work during a nocturnal herpetology survey in Cambodia’s karst habitat.
Photograph: Manita Hem/Fauna & Flora
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#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
A spectacular new species of pit viper (from the Trimeresurus genus) was found during the survey and is being described. These highly venomous snakes track down their warm-blooded prey using the heat-sensitive pits behind their nostrils.
Photograph: Fauna & Flora
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#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
A new species of gecko in the Gehyra genus now being described was found in several karst areas in Banan district, Battambang province.
Photograph: Hun Seiha/Fauna & Flora
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#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
Another species discovered during the survey, the Battambang leaf-toed gecko – Dixonius noctivagus (meaning ‘night wanderer’) – is covered in tiny leopard-like spots. Only two species of the Dixonius gecko genus have been identified in Cambodia, far fewer than in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, which indicates it is likely that further undiscovered species exist in the landscape.
Photograph: Hun Seiha/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
Four populations of the were found and identified as a new species: Cyrtodactylus kampingpoiensis. Despite being described as one species, it is thought that, due to the isolation of the karst formations, these four populations are separate in evolutionary terms.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
Named after the Hindu god of destruction, the karst-dwelling gecko shiva was recently discovered in Thailand and only described in February 2025. The survey team found it in Battambang, the first recorded in Cambodia.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
One of two millipede species collected during the survey (this one was discovered in Battambang in 2024), the vivid colouring of the Orthomorpha battambangiensis probably indicates that these millipedes are poisonous or, at the very least, unappetising for potential predators.
Photograph: Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#millipede
A reticulated python in Phnom Preak, Battambang province. This python species, native to south and south-east Asia, is the world’s longest snake with many specimens measuring in excess of seven metres.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
The brown tree frog, also known as the Hong Kong whipping frog, found in the Phnom Prampi cave in Battambang province, a designated natural heritage site. The frog gets its name from the way the female uses her back legs to whip up foam before making a nest for her eggs.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#frogs
The ornate flying snake (Chrysopelea ornata) – also known as the golden tree snake – glides from tree to tree by flattening its rib cage and twisting through the air like a shimmering ribbon. Its vivid colouring makes it popular among collectors.
Photograph: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
#photography
#Cambodia
#caves
#karst
#biodiversity
#NewSpecies
#geckos
#snakes
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