New animal species are constantly turning up in the deep oceans, thick jungles, or even dusty museum store rooms. Here’s our favorite new additions to the Tree of Life in 2017, as well as a couple of “Lazarus” creatures that were believed extinct but rediscovered this year.
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Humans have pretty much traipsed over all the dry parts of the planet, but the vast oceans still hide plenty of secrets from us landlubbers. Now, an ongoing study has identified a new species, the Mariana snailfish, which appears to be the deepest-dwelling fish in the world.
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An international team of scientists has identified a new species of orangutan, living in an isolated part of North Sumatra. Dubbed Pongo Tapanuliensis, comprehensive studies of its genomes and skull confirmed it as a distinct species. And unfortunately, it’s already critically endangered.
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It turns out you don’t need to dig around in the dirt to make new dinosaur discoveries: the back rooms of museums hold just as many secrets. Paleontologists have reexamined controversial old skeletons and confirmed them to be a distinct genus – a discovery that was made, and contested, decades ago.
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Solomon Islands locals have long spoken about giant rats that scurry around in trees and crack open coconuts, but it was never clear whether such a species really existed. Now, scientists have found the creatures, and confirmed that they are in fact a brand new species.
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While swanky tour buses and adoring fans are among the more obvious benefits to being a famous heavy metal musician, there's another benefit that's been appearing in the world of science lately: having flying and crawling creatures named after you.
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The Hoff may be known for patrolling Los Angeles beaches, and now his namesake, a new type of hairy-chested "Hoff" crab is among six new species that have been discovered living in the bizarre landscape around hydrothermal vents deep in the Indian Ocean.
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A new species of "micro-lion" belonging to the extinct marsupial Thylacoleonidae lion family has been discovered in Australia.
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Researchers reclassified 55 known tarantula species down to 15, while adding 14 new species, including Aphonopelma johnnycashi. The mostly black tarantula species was discovered near Folsom State Prison in California.
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Map of Life is a new Google Maps-based website, which indicates the distribution of almost every species of vertebrate animal in the world.
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