Scientists plan to go in search of the world’s rarest chameleon

Chapman’s pygmy chameleon hasn’t been seen for 16 years. Now scientists want to go on an expedition to its native country of Malawi, to find out if it still exists, reports Mongabay

Jeremy Hance for mongabay.com, part of the Guardian Environment Network

Thursday 4 December 2014 14.07 GMT

The tiny, little-known chameleon, that researchers have dubbed the world’s most endangered, is thought to live in just two patches of forest in Malawi.

Chapman’s pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon chapmanorum) hasn’t been seen in 16 years. In that time, its habitat has been whittled down to an area about the size of just 100 American football fields. Given this, scientists are now scrambling to raise funds to conduct an expedition to its last stand, Malawi Hill, to determine if Chapman’s pygmy chameleon still survives.

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China to explore virgin forest home of 'Bigfoot'

Researchers will start exploring large areas of primitive forest this month in the Shennongjia region of central China's Hubei province, local authorities said Sunday.

A group of 38 experts from several universities and research institutions will begin the expedition on July 8, according to a statement from the Shennongjia Nature Reserve's management bureau.

The trip is scheduled to last through August, the statement said.

The group will focus on studying the region's animals, plants and land features and will publish its research results later, it said.

Located deep in the remote mountains of Hubei, the Shennongjia Nature Reserve has long been rumored to be the home of an elusive creature known in China as the "Yeren," or "Wild Man" in English. It is also referred to as "Bigfoot" after the legendary North American ape-man.

More than 400 people have claimed to have seen the Yeren in the Shennongjia area over the past century, but no hard evidence has been found to prove the creature's existence.

With abundant rain and water resources, Shennongjia is home to more than 3,700 species of plants and at least 1,050 kinds of animals. At least 40 of its plant species and 70 of its animal species are under state protection.

The region is also home to the rare golden monkey, which is on the verge of extinction and was first spotted in Shennongjia in the 1960s.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Shennongjia to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 1990.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-07/01/content_25780068.htm