..............world's biggest cockroach
The world's biggest cockroach was among a rich and exotic menagerie of new species discovered by scientists exploring caves deep inside Indonesia's teeming jungles, expedition organisers said.
Dozens of previously unknown types of fish, insect, snail and plant were found in a limestone cavern system in the remote East Kalimantan region of Indonesian Borneo, said Scott Stanley of ecologists Nature Conservancy.
We admit the world's largest cockroach isn't exactly charismatic, but it's representative of a niche in the ecosystem and if you take that out you get a domino effect that could have a catastrophic effect on the whole food chain.
Scientists from six nations including Britain, France, Indonesia and Venezuela took part in the expedition to the Sangkulirang peninsula, a 9,000 hectare (22,230 acre) limestone forest which is home to a huge number of endemic species.
"Sangkulirang appears to have some of the most diverse cave species on Earth," said Louis DeHarveng, an entomologist of the French Academy of Science.
Full STORY!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1540&ncid=1540&e=2&u=/afp/20041223/sc_afp/scienceindonesia.041223171020
IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT, CLICK ON THE LINK!
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ydownload/20041223/photos_net_web_yn/1103833596
kinda nasty but its cool!!
