New Species News

September 9, 2016

Not One, but Four Giraffe Species

New Reptile Species from 212 Million Years Ago

Poaching Is Decimating Madagascar's Sea Turtles

Ecology of Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth

Latest Headlines

updated 12:22am EDT

Newly Described Amphipod Species Already Under Threat

Sep. 8, 2016 — Biologists have described a new amphipod species which is endemic to the Alps. While alpine lakes provide relatively undisturbed habitats for Gammarus alpinus, this species ... read more

Crab from the Chinese Pet Market Turns out to Be a New Species of a New Genus

Sep. 7, 2016 — Shimmering carapaces make crabs attractive to pet owners. To answer the growing demand, fishermen collect and trade ... read more

Flycatcher Genome Sheds Light on Causes of Mutations

Sep. 6, 2016 — A research team has determined the complete genetic code of 11 members of a flycatcher pedigree. Doing this, they have for the first time been able to estimate the rate of ... read more

'Ghost Snake' Discovered in Madagascar

Sep. 2, 2016 — Researchers discovered a new snake species in Madagascar and named it 'ghost snake' for its pale grey coloration and elusiveness. The researchers named it Madagascarophis ... read more

Atlantic Cod's Sex Gene Has Been Revealed

Sep. 2, 2016 — Newly developed methods have made it possible to determine the Atlantic cod's gender genetically. This could increase profits on cod in aquaculture, say ... read more

A Nonet of New Plant Species from Africa Emphasizes the Importance of Herbaria in Botany

Aug. 30, 2016 — Some collected 40 years ago, some as far back as a 100, nine new plant species from the custard apple genus Monanthotaxis ... read more

Paleontology: A Monster Put in Its Place

Sep. 1, 2016 — An analysis of the fossil known as the Minden Monster has enabled paleontologists to assign the largest predatory dinosaur ever found in Germany to a previously unknown genus, among a group that ... read more

Bird Bugs Shed New Light on Malaria Infection

Aug. 31, 2016 — A study into bird malaria could provide important clues about the causes of parasite co-infections in animals, including people, report investigators. They found that not ... read more

What's Hiding Behind the Trapdoor?

Aug. 30, 2016 — A researcher has discovered several new species of trapdoor spider -- and you'd never guess where. Trapdoor spiders spend most of their life underground their true number and ... read more

Environmental DNA Uncovers Biodiversity in Rivers

Aug. 30, 2016 — Researchers have used 'environmental DNA' to determine the biodiversity of a river. Previously, this involved collecting and identifying all the organisms living in it. Using ... read more

Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes to Fight Zika

How To Tell If Your Food Is Genetically Modified: It's Complicated

A Massive Coral Reef Discovered Near The Amazon Is Already In Danger

S.African Conservationists Seek to Revive Extinct Zebra Species

Species Conservation Profile of a Critically Endangered Endemic for the Azores Spider

Sep. 1, 2016 — Subject to continuing population decline due to various factors, an endemic cave-dwelling spider from the Azores is considered as Critically Endangered. To provide a fast output potentially ... read more

New Species of Pterosaur Discovered in Patagonia

Aug. 30, 2016 — Scientists today announced the discovery of a new species of pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America. The cranial remains were in an excellent state of preservation and belonged to a new ... read more

Bacteria in Smokeless Tobacco Products May Be a Health Concern

Aug. 26, 2016 — Several species of bacteria found in smokeless tobacco products have been associated with opportunistic infections, according to a new paper. An estimated 8 million people use smokeless tobacco ... read more

Discovery of an Ape Virus in an Indonesian Rodent Species

Aug. 26, 2016 — The gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) is a medically important tool in cancer therapies. GALV is a retrovirus pathogenic to its host species, the southeast Asian lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) and thought ... read more

Predicting Plant-Soil Feedbacks from Plant Traits

Aug. 24, 2016 — In nature, plants cannot grow without soil biota like fungi and bacteria. Successful plants are able to harness positive, growth-promoting soil organisms, while avoiding the negative effects of ... read more

New Tiny Species of Extinct Australian Marsupial Lion Named After Sir David Attenborough

Aug. 23, 2016 — The fossil remains of a new tiny species of marsupial lion which prowled the lush rainforests of northern Australia about 18 million years ago have been unearthed in the Riversleigh World Heritage ... read more

Logged Rainforests Can Be an 'Ark' for Mammals, Extensive Study Shows

Aug. 22, 2016 — Research reveals that large areas of 'degraded' forest in Southeast Asia can play an important role in conserving mammal ... read more

Hawaiian Fruit Flies Had Multiple Ancestors

Aug. 19, 2016 — Hawaiian drosophilids (fruit flies) had plural ancestors that hailed from continents, refuting the “single Hawaiian origin” hypothesis, a team of researchers has ... read more

Small Population Size? It Doesn't Have to Mean That Species Can't Adapt to Environmental Change

Aug. 17, 2016 — Worldwide, there are 16,938 endangered species. From the white rhino to the blue whale, numbers are dwindling in the face of poaching, habitat destruction and climate change. Although the situation ... read more

Mix of Marine Zones Matters Most for Prey Fish

Aug. 17, 2016 — In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists have discovered a mosaic mix of marine zones could benefit populations of prey ... read more

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Linked to Wild Bee Decline Across England

Aug. 16, 2016 — Exposure to neonicotinoid seed treated oilseed rape crops has been linked to long-term population decline of wild bee species across the English countryside, according to ... read more

New Species of Extinct River Dolphin Discovered in Smithsonian Collection

Aug. 16, 2016 — A fossil that has been in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History since it was discovered in 1951 is today helping scientists piece together the evolutionary ... read more

The Aztec Treasure Unearthed: New Earth Snake Species Discovered in Mexico

Aug. 11, 2016 — A new gem has been added to the vast treasure of Mexican reptiles. Scientists recently described a new and strikingly colored species of earth snake from the mountains of Puebla and Veracruz in ... read more

Rain Frog That Turned Into a Sleeping Beauty Is a New Species from the Peruvian Andes

Aug. 11, 2016 — A new species of rain frog was discovered in the premontane forests of the Peruvian central Andes. Referring to the mountain chain's local name, the amphibian's name translates to ... read more

Historically Robust Natural Ecosystems Could Collapse Due to Climate Change, Human Activity

Aug. 11, 2016 — Global change will strike the oldest and most complex ecosystems of the world hardest, regardless of their past stability, warn experts in a new ... read more

Plant Response to Carbon Dioxide Emissions Depends on Their Neighbors

Aug. 11, 2016 — Plants may have a hard time adapting to climate change if they move to new regions to keep up with changing habitats, according to new ... read more

Many Endangered Species Face Long Waits for Protection

Aug. 10, 2016 — The Endangered Species Act was enacted by Congress in 1973 to protect species threatened with extinction. To receive protection, a species must first be listed as endangered or threatened. A two-year ... read more

Morphological Analysis of a Light-Controlling Organ Suggests Two New Deep-Sea Fish Species

Aug. 10, 2016 — Two new species can be added to the bioluminescent deep-sea fish family Opisthoproctidae, or 'barreleyes' -- named for the fishes' tubular eyes -- according to a new ... read more

New Analysis Shows Threats to 8,000 Red List Species

Aug. 10, 2016 — Less than a month away from the kick-off the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, a team of scientists reports that three quarters of the world's threatened species are imperiled because ... read more

Unraveling the Jaw-Dropping Goblin Shark

Aug. 10, 2016 — Scientists have revealed goblin sharks' 'slingshot feeding' mechanism, which involves high-speed protrusion of their jaws. Goblin sharks have revealed a remarkable biting mechanism, ... read more

Thursday, September 1, 2016