Researchers have found several previously undiscovered creatures living in Cambodia’s cave systems.
Between November 2023 and July 2025, the team surveyed 64 caves across the karst regions of Battambang and Stung Treng Provinces. Fourteen of these caves had never been explored.
A new species of pit viper. Photo: Fauna & Flora
What they found was extraordinary. Researchers identified at least 11 new species of snakes, geckos, microsnails, and millipedes. The most striking include a bright turquoise pit viper, a flying snake, and three previously unknown geckos.
Karst landscapes, formed as slightly acidic water dissolves limestone, are riddled with caves, sinkholes, and underground passages. Many of these features are cut off from one another, creating isolated pockets where species evolve independently. This process has turned Cambodia’s caves into natural laboratories of evolution.
A new species of gecko, Cyrtodactylus kampingpoiensis. Photo: Phyroum Chourn/Fauna & Flora
Adventurous fieldwork
“Cambodia’s karst areas are a treasure trove of scientific secrets waiting to be uncovered,” said Sothearen Thi from Fauna & Flora told IFL Science.
The fieldwork was not easy. Researchers often had to crawl through tight, dark tunnels and squeeze through narrow gaps in the limestone to reach previously unseen chambers. They also installed camera traps at cave entrances to monitor animal activity.
A new species of gecko from the genus Gehyra. Photo: Hun Seiha/Fauna & Flora
These cameras revealed that the caves not only host new species, but also give refuge to threatened wildlife. The cameras recorded the Sunda pangolin, Indochinese silvered langur, long-tailed macaque, green peafowl, northern pig-tailed macaque, mainland serow, and Bengal monitor lizard — all endangered.
Despite their importance, Cambodia’s caves are under increasing pressure. Many are popular tourist attractions, while others are threatened by limestone extraction for cement production.
Phnom Laang Spean cave in Battambang Province.
“Without sustainable management, we may never find out what these areas truly hold,” Thi said.
Researchers are now working closely with the Cambodian government and local communities to improve protection of the caves and to reach more of the many unexplored caves and chambers.
