Most of us know about various species that are facing annihilation. But, you may be surprised to know that the planet still has a lot of new and yet to discover species all over. Most of them have peculiar shapes and sizes. They have certain peculiar characteristic features as well. The International Institute for Species at the Arizona State University and a special group of taxonomists from around the globe has decided to put together the details of some of the new species they have discovered recently. They include a glowing mushroom, a leech, a flat hopping etc among many others. Given below are 5 newly discovered animal species for you.
1. Eternal light mushroom:
Surprised by the name? Yes, the mushrooms keep emitting a bright yellow-green light from the gel-covered stems. This special species are from the last remaining Atlantic habitat from the forests near Sao Paulo in Brazil. Of the 1.5 million estimated species of fungi found on earth about 71 of them are known to show such a special feature. Of them all, this mushroom has visually striking features. The mushrooms emit light for 24 hours.
2. Leaproach:
Saltoblattella montistabularis is a cockroach with legs that are greatly modified for the sake of jumping. Before the cockroach was discovered it was known only to the Late Jurassic. The jumping capacity of the cockroach is compared to the grasshoppers. Apart from the modification of the legs, the eyes of the creature are specially shaped and protrude from both the sides. The antennae have another fixation point for stabilizing while jumping. They are known to be great jumpers. Saltoblattella in Latin means small jumping cockroach. The species was found near the Table Mountain in Cape Town.
3. Louisiana pancake batfish:
Halieutichthys intermedius is a peculiar kind of fish that was discovered before the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The fish occupied the areas where the oil split. The fish is as flat as a pancake and has spikes all over the body. It has huge and bulging eyes too. The fish hops with the help of its fins. The fish became very popular due to oil spill in the area where it is commonly found.
4. Sierra Madre monitor:
This is a huge lizard shaped creature that lives on fruits. They are found on the trees of the Northern Sierra Madre Forest in Luzon Island of Philippines. The monitor lizard found in the forests can grow to about 6.6 feet long. It weighs only about 22 lbs which is very heavy for lizard. When compared to the length the weight is not too much. This giant lizard is brightly colored and still has escaped the eyes of numerous biologists all its life. The animal is however known to the local people.
5. Titanic bacterium:
The Halomonas titanicae is found at the bottom of sea. This species is very special because it is known to eat iron. The iron-oxide consuming bacteria were discovered from some remains of the RMS Titanic. The bacteria stick to the steel surfaces and forms knob-like protrusions that are responsible for the deterioration of the vessel. An interesting fact is that these bacteria were suggested to be used for disposing old merchant and naval ships that are found at the bottom of the sea.
Apart from these there are several other interesting creatures that are getting discovered and yet to be discovered. Other newly found creatures include Darwin’s bark spider that builds large webs that can span rivers, lakes and streams, the pollinating cricket from Reunion Island, Walter’s Duiker in West Africa, T-rex leech that has teeth and the underwater mushroom found in northwestern United States.
