species discovery

A new study of tree biodiversity estimates that Earth boasts 14 percent more tree species than previous efforts have identified.

The discovery, made on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, constitutes an exceptionally high number of new mammals to be described in a single paper.

Researchers say they have discovered a novel species of comb jelly using video footage, but they couldn’t recover a physical specimen. Is that enough?

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.

A look at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry scientists’ picks

The olinguito, misidentified by zookeepers and museum curators for nearly a century, is the first new carnivorous mammal discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University reveals its list of the top 10 new species of 2012.

In South Sudan, researchers discover another specimen that they’ve classified into an entirely new genus of the flying mammal.

Researchers discovered four mini chameleon species in Madagascar that are fighting to survive.