Top 10 New Species In 2016 Revealed, 10 Million More Yet To Be Discovered

Scientists claim that there about 10 million species that are yet to be discovered. Each year, coinciding with the birthday of the father of modern taxonomy Carolus Linnaeus, the International Institute for Species Exploration releases a short list of newly discovered species.

Treehugger said it is actually the top new species of the 18,000 new species discovered in 2015.

CNN has shared the list of top 10 new species:

Giant tortoise

There are only 250 of them left. Found in Galapagos, this species of tortoise says so much about the urgency of conservation efforts in the area. The scientific name is Chelonoidis donfaustoi to honor Don Fausto, a park ranger, who has devoted 40 years of life working on tortoise conservation efforts.

Giant Sundew

This is said to be the biggest sundew ever see. It is about 48 inches discovered through the help of social media posts on Facebook. It can only be found at the summit of a mountain in Brazil. Its scientific name is Drosera magnifica.

Hominin

Discovered in South Africa, this species resembles modern humans in terms of weight and size. The size of its brain is quite similar to that of Homo species that existed about 3 to 4 million years ago. Scientific name: Homo naledi.

Isopod

These are crustaceans that make shelters out of mud. It is unpigmented and blind by default. Scientific name: Iuiuniscus iuiuensis.

Anglerfish

This is said to be the ugliest species in this year's list. It has an esca, which has bacteria that can emit light. The bacteria can attract their prey. Scientific name: Lasiognathus dinema.

Tiny beetle

Scientific name is Phytotelmatrichis osopaddington, after Paddington Bear. Scientists are hoping that kids will also look into this tiny beetle as lovable as the bear.

New primate

This is one of the most interesting discoveries, according to CNN. It appears to be related to apes, humans, and gibbons. Scientific name: Pliobates cataloniae.

Flowering tree

This was found near main road of Monts de Cristal National Park in Gabon. It is less than 20 feet in height. Scientific name: Sirdavidia solannona.

Sparklewing

For this year, about 60 new species of damselflies and dragonflies were discovered in just one publication. Scientific name: Umma gumma. 

Their roles in nature is about to be discovered, too, in their future endeavors. However, scientists and nature enthusiasts alike are already thrilled to the 10 million more species to be revealed soon.