Scientists exploring Angola’s remote Lisima Plateau have identified dozens of species that may be new to science, highlighting the region’s extraordinary biodiversity. The Cassai Life Atlas survey, conducted by The Wilderness Project, documented a crowned crab spider that glows blue under ultraviolet light, a spider that mimics a toxic beetle to deter predators, eight undescribed dragonfly species, eight new moths, and multiple grasshopper and cricket species. The plateau, which feeds four major river systems including the Congo and Zambezi, was long inaccessible due to its geography and a civil war that ended in 2002. While formal species identification could take years, scientists hope the discoveries will strengthen efforts to protect the region from future threats and support long-term conservation planning.
CNN