Science breakthrough after new giant waterlily species discovered thanks to Instagram post

Experts discovered an incredibly rare new species of giant waterlily after spotting it in an Instagram photo.The species, formally named the Colombian giant waterlily (Victoria colombiana), boasts lily pads stretching up to two metres in diameter, yet only an estimated 30 to 50 individual plants are believed to survive in the wild.The remarkable path to its formal scientific description took waterlily specialist Carlos Magdalena from a social media post through satellite imagery analysis and collaboration with indigenous communities.Afterwards, the team undertook a dramatic nocturnal boat expedition through flooded rainforest to secure the evidence needed to confirm a plant previously unknown to science. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr Magdalena, a botanical and scientific research horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, first encountered the waterlily five years ago when he came across images posted by American carnivorous plant nursery owner Jeremiah Harris.After photographing the species in Colombia's Inirida region, Mr Harris assumed the plant was the more widespread Victoria amazonica.However, Mr Magdalena recognised that no known Victoria species had a natural range extending to the Inirida River in Colombia's Guainia department.Convinced he might be looking at something entirely new, the Kew specialist turned to online satellite maps of the Inirida area and identified several enormous lily pads belonging to a single plant, visible from above.Mr Harris subsequently confirmed these were the same specimens that local guides had shown him during his visit.Magdalena subsequently teamed up with Mauricio Bernal from the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis, along with indigenous reserve members Nilo Rodríguez, Jaime Hernández, and Gustavo Melo, to organise an expedition to the site.Over five days trekking through Inirida's rainforest, the group managed to locate just two individual plants, neither of which was flowering, a critical requirement for creating the dried herbarium specimens botanists need to formally classify a species.With a 9am return flight to Bogota looming, Mr Magdalena shared their predicament with expedition boatman Melo, a member of the indigenous Tucano community, who told them he knew of additional specimens elsewhere.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSArchaeologists begin drilling at 'Noah's Ark site' ahead of potential biblical breakthroughLeopardus tilcayo: Adorable new cat species identified for the first time in more than 100 yearsKill order issued following horror shark attack which saw bloodied swimmer 'tossed around like a fish'The team left at 1am by boat, pushed deeper into the flooded jungle, and arrived at a secluded lake just before sunrise, where they found five more giant waterlilies, crucially, one bearing a flower.They secured their specimen and raced back to catch their flight with barely any time to spare.Mr Magdalena described the find as a convergence of indigenous expertise, horticultural knowledge, social media and modern technology. He said: "This is one of those extraordinary stories where indigenous and horticultural knowledge with the help of social media and technology came together to uncover a truly extraordinary botanical achievement."However, he stressed the urgency of protecting the species, adding: "With so many plants in the wild threatened with extinction, we simply cannot wait any longer to take action."Plant taxonomist Maarten Christenhusz, who assisted with the formal species description published in the journal Phytotaxa, noted: "New species are found all the time, but few are as large, spectacular and emblematic as this one."This new giant waterlily can even be seen from space, which is a striking reminder of how much we still don't know about life on our planet."We can only conserve what we know exists, and discoveries like this show why exploring and understanding the natural world is so important."The research team has since identified a third lake harbouring the waterlily, and satellite imagery comparisons suggest further plants may become detectable when dry season conditions cause water levels to fall.However, they warned that accessing the sites on foot is more challenging than navigating by boat during flood periods.Scientists say scanning satellite images for undiscovered populations remains essential to the species' survival, while plans are already progressing to establish a naturalised group of plants in a more easily reached lake within indigenous territory, which could support local ecotourism. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter