Buzz
Humans have existed on Earth for approximately 200,000 years, and in that time, we’ve ventured across nearly every part of the planet—on land, beneath the seas, and both above and below the water. You might think we've discovered it all by now.
Yet, that’s far from true. Whether we’re looking at reptiles, dinosaurs, sharks, fish, flies, arthropods, or worms, nature never stops astonishing us. As demonstrated by these 10 odd, newly discovered species, such revelations continue to expand, reshape, and at times, challenge our understanding of biodiversity, ecological dynamics, and even the process of evolution.
10. Triopticus Primus
Dinosaurs drew inspiration from the body and skull structures of earlier creatures. A newly discovered reptile species, Triopticus primus (meaning 'first of three eyes'), lived 230 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. While the Triopticus only had two eyes, a pit atop its head made it appear as though it had a third.
Using a CT scan on a fossilized Triopticus, scientists revealed that its skull closely resembled the dome-shaped craniums of pachycephalosaur dinosaurs, which emerged much later. This discovery suggests that the pachycephalosaur skull design was inspired by that of the Triopticus.
Virginia Tech research scientist Michelle Stocker explained that the Triopticus exemplifies convergence, an evolutionary phenomenon where species that are only distantly related evolve to resemble one another. This diversification surged after the Great Permian Extinction 250 million years ago.
Sterling Nesbitt, Assistant Professor of Paleontology at Virginia Tech, remarked, “Reptiles rapidly proliferated and diversified into various forms right after their emergence. These early body shapes were later emulated by dinosaurs.”
9. Morelladon Beltrani
Morelladon beltrani, a newly discovered dinosaur species from Spain, features a peculiar anatomical structure: a sail-like ridge running along its back. The exact function of this structure remains uncertain, though it may have served to store fat, be used for display purposes, or assist with temperature regulation.
This dinosaur, which lived 125 million years ago, measured 6 meters (20 ft) in length and stood 2.4 meters (8 ft) tall. It likely resembled the larger Iguanodon, except for the distinctive sail that the Morelladon had. The sail-backed Morelladon highlights the diversity among dinosaurs.
8. Pegomastax
One of the smallest dinosaurs ever discovered, the newly unearthed Pegomastax was a peculiar, fang-toothed, dwarf herbivore with a skull just 8 centimeters (3 inches) long, jaws of 2.5 centimeters (1 inch), a parrot-like beak, and sharp teeth. Its body, possibly covered in quills, measured less than 0.6 meters (2 feet) in length and likely weighed less than a small domestic cat.
With its two prominent canines at the front, the dinosaur’s teeth could slice through plants like self-sharpening scissors. However, its skull seemed specially adapted for plucking fruit. As Dr. Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist from the University of Chicago, pointed out, it is rare for herbivorous dinosaurs to possess sharp teeth.
Pegomastax‘s chewing mechanism also caught Sereno by surprise.
7. Hemiscyllium Halmahera
Discovered in the waters of eastern Indonesia, Hemiscyllium halmahera is a new species of 71-centimeter (28-inch) “walking” shark that uses its fins to propel itself across the ocean floor.
As the sharks wiggle their bodies, they push themselves forward with their pectoral and pelvic fins. The shark’s brown color with dark spots closely matches the sandy seafloor and rocks in its environment.
6. Myloplus Zorroi
Flesh-eating piranhas, known for their large numbers and violent feeding frenzies that stir up murky waters, have become famous villains in horror films. The newly discovered Myloplus zorroi, named after the legendary Latin swordsman Zorro, was found in 2007 in a tributary of the Amazon River.
Scientists were astonished to discover that it doesn’t consume meat. Instead, it feeds on seeds, fruit, and plant matter, with specialized teeth designed for grinding seeds. This new species, which is reddish with a yellow belly and fins, can grow to at least 46 centimeters (18 inches) in length and inhabits moderate- to fast-moving streams that flow over rocky and sandy terrain.
5. Blackfish
The small, shiny, scaleless blackfish resembles a tiny patch of oil slick. Found among four ancient volcanoes off the coast of Australia, it features unusually large, quite intimidating jaws and teeth.
The finger-length, fanged fish also possesses a tail that could potentially deliver a painful sting. This new blackfish species was uncovered by scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia’s national science agency, while aboard the Investigator, Australia’s newest research vessel.
4. Keesingia Gigas And Malo Bella
Two newly identified venomous jellyfish species—Keesingia gigas and Malo bella—have been discovered.
Keesingia gigas has been observed in coastal waters worldwide, predominantly off the northern coast of Australia. Typically, jellyfish utilize their tentacles, where their stinging cells are concentrated, to capture prey. However, the unusually large 50-centimeter (20-inch) Keesingia gigas seems to lack tentacles altogether. If they are present, they are so fine that they may have gone unnoticed.
The name bella for the Malo bella jellyfish is derived from its 1.9-centimeter (0.7-inch) bell, its beauty, and the Montebello Islands in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, where the species was first discovered. This jellyfish is the smallest in the Malo genus. Its traits suggest that it is likely to be highly toxic.
3. Illacme Tobini
Illacme tobini, a recently discovered species of millipede in the little-explored marble caves of Sequoia National Park in California, boasts 414 legs, 200 poison glands, over 100 body segments, silk-producing hairs, and four penises. This species is a close relative of the Illacme plenipes, which has an astonishing 750 legs.
The millipede was uncovered by Jean Krejca of Zara Environmental, LLC. Additionally, this arthropod features “strange mouthparts of an unknown purpose” and has nozzles on each of its body segments. These nozzles release a defensive chemical, although its composition remains unidentified.
2. Giant-Eyed Fly
A 50-million-year-old fossilized fly had its head almost entirely obscured by its massive, bulbous compound eyes. This fossil was unearthed in Republic, Washington, by a student on a field trip. The giant-eyed fly belongs to the Pipunculidae family, which includes today’s big-headed flies. These flies are beneficial to farmers due to their tendency to prey on leaf-eating insects, which they use as hosts for their larvae.
Big-headed flies lay their eggs inside leafhoppers, where the larvae consume the host from within until the baby flies emerge. Bruce Archibald, a biologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, states that the large eyes of these flies are key to their ability to hunt planthoppers and leafhoppers.
The fly head fossil was found in deposits dating 12–15 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs. These findings offer insights into the “wide-ranging ecological-evolutionary shifts in predator-prey dynamics and the rise of biodiversity as new ecosystems took shape,” according to Archibald.
1. Snailfish
A research team led by Jeff Drazen and Patty Fryer from the University of Hawaii filmed a newly discovered species of ethereal fish in the Mariana Trench. The fish, recorded at a depth of 8,100 meters (27,000 ft), is tentatively classified as a new kind of snailfish, although its fragile body is distinct from other known species.
The fish is described as having “wide, transparent fins, thin appendages, and a tail.” Rather than swimming, it seems to row through the water using its fin-like limbs. What’s particularly remarkable is the fish’s ability to withstand the immense pressure of the ocean depths, which typically disrupts muscles and nerves, warps proteins, and impairs the enzymes essential for life.
