Can you tell what kind of animal this is?

© Alexei V. Abramo

It’s a hedgehog—a vampire hedgehog!

This is one of 234 species discovered in 2024 in the Greater Mekong region—which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam—a region renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity.

Collaboration is vital in the complex task of documenting new species. Partnerships between researchers, communities, and institutions can span continents and even generations.

Take the recently described Hylomys macarong, a soft-furred hedgehog with fang-like teeth that inspired its scientific name—“Ma cà rồng” is Vietnamese for “vampire.” This species was photographed in the wild by a team from the Russian Vietnamese Research Centre in 2009. In total, co-authors from six countries and collectors dating back to the 1930s helped identify this species.

See more photos of some of the 234 species recently discovered in the Greater Mekong region—like an underwater fern, leaf-toed geckos, a crocodile newt, and more.