85 New species of life discovered in 2017

[Friends just call me Ross]

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In 2017, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences, along with several dozen international collaborators,

added 85 new plant and animal species to Earth’s tree of life, including 16 flowering plants, three scorpions,

10 sharks, 22 fish, a lizard, an elephant-shrew, and a slew of species with unique names

(a butterflyfish named after Donald Rumsfeld and a ‘bat-wing’ sea slug named after Dumbo the Flying Elephant).

 

The scientists made their discoveries in five continents and three oceans.

Dr. Shannon Bennett, Chief of Science at the California Academy of Sciences, said in a statement:

Despite tireless efforts to explore from the far-flung corners of the globe to our backyard crannies,

scientists estimate that more than 90 percent of species have yet to be discovered — with many going extinct

before we even know they exist. We are not only losing members of the tree of life; we are also forfeiting potential

breakthroughs in medicine, agricultural pollinators, water purifiers, and many other critical components of a healthy planet.

http://earthsky.org/earth/85-new-species

https://www.calacademy.org/press/releases/85-new-species-described-by-the-california-academy-of-sciences-in-2017

 

A Guitarfish from South Africa.

Amazing!!!