With modern technologies unearthing novel bacterial and archaeal species by the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, manually naming them all is no longer practical, scientists say.

A team of scientists searching for a rare species of whale instead found a species of whale they say has never been recorded.

Fossils of two dinosaur skeletons found in New Mexico are from a species new to science that lived 92 million years ago.

These Type D killer whales have blunter heads and a different color pattern than other orcas. A new species designation hinges on the results of genetic testing.

Five newly identified species of snakes suck the mollusks right out of their shells.  

The studded cells belong to a newly discovered species of water bear, Macrobiotus shonaicus. 

A once critically endangered species of leaf frog has made a comeback. 

A sampling of some of the fascinating critters identified by scientists this year

Taking into account the interaction of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in birds holds the promise of more objectively defining what constitutes a species.