We’re just over a month into 2023, and already there are plenty of newly described species. We share some of our favourites.
Taxonomists describe thousands and thousands of new extant (living) species every year, and 2023 has already seen some amazing new discoveries.
Sometimes, these creatures are completely new ones that have never been studied by scientists before, and sometimes its a case of a species and its subspecies being examined more closely – and it is agreed upon that they ought to be separate species.
And paleontologists are also describing new species that theyve studied from bones, fossils, amber and even fossilised dung.
Sometimes species are named after their characteristics or the region in which they are found. However, sometimes scientists like to have a bit more fun and species have been named after celebrities, including over 40 species named after Sir David Attenborough.
How many plant species are there?
According to Kew Gardens, there are 342,953 vascular plant species (plants that can transport nutrients and water). Then there are plants lacking a vascular system, such as mosses and lichen, which account for 22,750 species. Finally, algae or seaweeds number about 22,000.
Thus, when these are added up, there are 387,703 recognized plant species overall; however, as more are found every year, the total is gradually increasing.
Answered by David Hamilton.
Newly species of 2023
This fuzzy face is that of a recently discovered species of roundleaf bats, which are named for their roughly circular nasal apparatus. There are currently about 70 species in this group. H. The structure of the nose-leaf and the pitch of the vocalizations of Kingstonae allow it to be differentiated from its relatives.
During bat surveys of rainforests in Malaysia and the Thai peninsula, the species was captured. Other specimens have been identified from Borneo collections, where it was most likely misidentified as a more common species. The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit’s founder and chair, Tigga Kingston, a Texas Tech University bat biologist who collected some of the first specimens, is honored by the species’ name.
How many species go extinct each day?
This is impossible to answer precisely. There are always new species emerging, and some may become extinct before they are even fully described. Estimates of the rates of extinction vary greatly. One way to figure it out would be to start by taking the annual “natural extinction rate,” or the rate at which species would become extinct in the absence of humans. This is often stated as one per million (or 0. 00001%) per year – but again, opinion on this varies.
According to experts, the current rate of extinction has increased to 1,000–10,000 times the natural rate. Thus, if we assume that the natural rate is one per million, the current rates will range from 0 to 01 and 0. 1% per year. There are said to be 1. There are about 6 million known species on Earth, but some scientists estimate that there may be as many as 100 million. Calculate the worst-case scenario math, and you’ll find that 273 species are lost every day.
It is claimed that a sixth extinction is currently occurring. In contrast to earlier mass extinction events that were caused by changes in the climate, geological activity, and a massive asteroid, humans are to blame for the losses that are occurring now.
Answered by Sarah McPherson.
FAQ
How many new bird species were discovered in 2022?
How many species of eBird are there?
How many bird orders are there?
What is the difference between eBird and birds of the world?