A recent expedition into the forests of Madagascar found 21 examples of species that had been considered lost to science, including the first documented sighting of an approximately 10-inch-long millipede in 126 years, Popular Science reported.
The expedition into Makira Forest, which took place last September, turned up many long-lost species — at least to scientists, though local communities may not have considered them lost, per the news report. Yet perhaps none of the species were more long-lost than the 10-inch millipede.
"I personally was most surprised and pleased by the fact that the giant millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, not uncommon in Makira Forest, appeared to be another lost species known only from the type specimen described in 1897," Dmitry Telnov, an entomologist for Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation, said in a statement.
"The longest specimen of this species we observed in Makira was a really gigantic female measuring 27.5 centimeters [10.8 inches] long."
Other species that hadn't been spotted in decades (except, probably, by locals) included two examples of ant-like flower beetles, 17 different spider species considered new to science, and three fish, including the Makira rainbow fish.
The discovery of all of these creatures shows how important it is to preserve the natural environment, and how vulnerable so many plants and animals are to human activities. The fact that these species are still in existence is thanks to the fact that Makira Forest, the largest rainforest in Madagascar, is virtually untouched and legally protected.
Other parts of rainforests throughout the world have not been nearly as lucky, with large swaths wiped out by human development or depleted by the lumber industry, resulting in the endangerment and extinction of numerous species — and the loss of a massive amount of biodiversity.
Researchers recently found that expanding the amount of protected land to cover just 1.2% more of the Earth's land surface could save thousands of species from extinction over the next five years. The more biodiversity that is erased from our planet, the more important it becomes to preserve what we have left.
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