Soul-sucking 'dementor' wasps and 8 other crazy new species

139 new species were discovered in 2014 in the Greater Mekong region

Published May 28, 2015 6:55PM (EDT)

   (Michael Ohl/Museum fur Naturkunde)
(Michael Ohl/Museum fur Naturkunde)

On Thursday, the World Wildlife Fund released a report detailing 139 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region in 2014.

The WWF reports:

Ninety plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, nine fish, and one mammal are detailed in the report Magical Mekong—and many of them are already at risk... This brings the total number of new species discovered in the Greater Mekong—a region that includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam—to 2,216 between 1997 and 2014. That’s an average of three new species discovered a week.

The soul-sucking dementor wasp -- one of the newly-discovered species -- earned its name because of its terrifying defense mechanism. One sting from one of these wasps will sap its predators (often cockroaches) of their free will, at which point the wasp will take the roach back to its lair to eat it. The list also includes the world's second-longest insect which measures at just over 21 inches long (holy hell) and the long-fanged bat which uses its terrifying teeth to chew through shelled insects.

Take a look at some of the most magnificent and terrifying newly-discovered creatures below:

[slide_show id=13977123]


By Joanna Rothkopf

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Animals Insects Mekong Region Slideshow Species Wasps World Wildlife Fund