Fanged frogs, rat-eating plants, and fish tongue-eating parasites.

William Blake once said, “Nature is imagination itself.” Check out these recent strange new species  discoveries and see if you agree.

In early September, scientists found a "lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats” in Papua New Guinea. In fact, m ore than 40 new species were discovered in a volcanic crater and the country’s rainforests, including a giant woolly rat never before seen by scientists. It’s hoped that the discovery of these new species will raise awareness of the destruction of Papua New Guinea’s rainforest, which is currently being lost at a rate of 3.5% each year. Learn more about this mysterious and relatively unexplored region, and why EarthShare member organizations like Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund are working to preserve and protect it. 

Another recent odd find: a giant carnivorous plant in the Philippines – among the largest flesh-eating plants known to man. Scientists claim it can consume organisms as small as insects and as large as rats. And that’s just one amazing life form to be found in the Philippines; Conservation International recognizes the island nation as one the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth . About half of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on the planet!

Finally, for those with strong stomachs, we present the ocean-dwelling, fish tongue-eating parasite – not a new discovery, but a rare live specimen was recently found off the coast of Normandy, France. Isn’t Nature fascinating?