New species discovered
Exciting news! Here are some recent discoveries of new species:
- Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina): A new species of mammal, a type of raccoon, was discovered in the Andes mountains of South America in 2013.
- Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis): In 2017, a new species of orangutan was discovered in Sumatra, Indonesia. It's the first new species of great ape to be described since the bonobo in 1929.
- Lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis): A new species of monkey was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012.
- Dendrogramma enigmatica: A bizarre, alien-like creature was discovered in 2014 off the coast of Australia. It's a type of marine animal that doesn't fit into any known phylum.
- Kakapo (Strigops habroptila): A new subspecies of the critically endangered kakapo parrot was discovered in 2019 in New Zealand.
- Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea): A new species of giant centipede was discovered in 2019 in the Amazon rainforest.
- Fangtooth (Anoplogaster cornuta): A new species of deep-sea fish with large fangs was discovered in 2019 in the Mariana Trench.
- Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni): A new species of goblin shark was discovered in 2019 off the coast of Japan.
- Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta): A new species of tarsier, a small, nocturnal primate, was discovered in 2019 in the Philippines.
- Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux): A new species of giant squid was discovered in 2019 in the Gulf of Mexico.
These are just a few examples of the many new species discovered in recent years. The discovery of new species is an ongoing process, and scientists estimate that there may be up to 8.7 million species on Earth, with many more still waiting to be discovered!