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In August, a team of scientists and volunteers set out on a "Bioblitz" of Yellowstone National Park - and they discovered 1200 new species!

Before you go thinking too big, the new species they found were mostly lichen, microscopic worms, mushrooms, slender grass and one colorful tiger beetle. But in only 24 hours, 125 scientists discovered 1200 new versions of these things.


The Bioblitz, which was also conducted in Great Smokey National Park and Acadia National Park (as well as about 38 other national parks around the country) was meant to highlight the diversity of (and promote conservation of) each parks' ecosystem by showcasing the tremendous wealth of animal and plant life that resides at the bottom of it.

Without these tiny creatures and plants, the larger mammals that inhabit the park, like bison, elk, wolves and bear, wouldn't exist. These tiny things support life in Yellowstone - can't have one without the other.

Ann Rodman, a Yellowstone scientist who helped organize the event, told the Associated Press, "(Bioblitz) lets people see the value of Yellowstone is not just the big mammals we preserve that people drive down the road and see. There's a whole lot more here."

For more information, read the Summary Report of the 2009 Yellowstone National park Bioblitz

Via Backpacker magazine's Daily Dirt