Species

Millipedes are frauds – despite their name being Latin for “thousand feet,” they usually only have a few hundred. But a newly discovered species is the first to earn its name with well over 1,000 legs, far more than any other creature on the planet.

Anthropologists have discovered a new species of human, known from a single fossil skull. Named Homo longi, or “Dragon Man,” the species appears to be our closest known relative, pipping even Neanderthals.

There are still plenty of utterly alien creatures left to find on Earth. Now a brand new horror has emerged from the depths of the ocean – meet Ophiojura, a “totally unique” type of animal with arms covered in hooks and eight sets of toothy jaws.

A tiny new species of chameleon has been discovered, and it may be the smallest reptile in the world. Known as Brookesia nana, or the nano-chameleon, the petite species can perch on a fingertip and may have the smallest adult males of any vertebrate.

Scientists working in the West African country of Guinea have discovered a new orange-furred species of bat. The rare discovery came while conducting field surveys in the isolated Nimba Mountain range.

Led by the sounds of mysterious acoustic signals, a group of beaked whale experts believe they have captured evidence of an entirely new species, sending chills up their spines as they ponder the existence of a completely unknown large mammal.

A species of chameleon lost to science for over a century has now been found. Voeltzkow’s chameleon, or Furcifer voeltzkowi, was rediscovered during a research expedition to Madagascar, which identified several surprisingly colorful individuals.

We're on the brink of a sixth major extinction event, largely thanks to human activity and climate change. The least we could do is try to prevent some of them, and now a study has quantified how many species we may have saved in the last few decades.

It can be hard to determine if an animal is extinct or just really good at hiding. A new study shows how environmental DNA can help the hunt, with several missing frog species rediscovered in Brazil, including one that hasn’t been seen in 50 years.

A long-lost species has been rediscovered alive and well. The Somali sengi, an insect-eating mammal that hasn’t been seen in over 40 years, has turned up in East Africa, with researchers snapping the first-ever photos and video of them in the wild.

All kinds of fascinating discoveries are waiting in the deep sea. Now scientists have pulled a new monster out of the waters off the Indonesian coast. The creature is a new species of “supergiant” isopod, a huge marine relative of the common pillbug.

Forget space – the oceans are Earth’s final frontier. The latest case in point is a diving expedition off the coast of Western Australia, which has discovered up to 30 new species plus what may be the longest animal ever recorded.