Humanity now has another batch of (very) distant cousins — including a few who live nearby.
Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences described 146 new species to science in 2022. The discoveries, the result of continued collaboration between about a dozen Academy scientists and international experts, were made across six continents and three oceans.
Three of the new species were found in California, and two were discovered in the Bay Area — a pair of scorpions scoped out by high school students on iNaturalist.
In fact, most of the new species fall into the “creepy crawly” category.
The official list includes 44 lizards, 30 ants, 14 sea slugs, 14 flowering plants, 13 sea stars, seven fishes, four beetles, four sharks, three moths, three worms, two scorpions, two spiders, two lichens, one toad, one clam, one aphid and one sea biscuit, which is a species of sea urchin.
Every addition to the tree of life counts when it comes to climate change, said Academy virologist and Chief of Science Shannon Bennett.
“New species research is critical for understanding the diversity of life on Earth and identifying ecosystems most in need of protection,” said Bennett. “Biodiversity science is at the forefront of global conservation action and is key in unifying nations and equipping them with the tools necessary to reverse extinction rates by 2030.”
Here are some of the new faces you may be seeing around the world.(tncms-asset)7527605a-8009-57b1-b773-787f29b8a763[0](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)f6e2820c-e6c7-513e-ba54-6d7be5cf6da9[1](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)856639ee-8db7-5ec1-beb9-1227ca0472e3[2](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)bb9b9718-1ee9-5ca9-988f-090443d78a8d[3](/tncms-asset)
Ansonia karen, a new species of toad that lives in streams in Western Thailand.
