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New species

Astonish Me is all about the incredible new discoveries that are reshaping our understanding of the natural world and revealing the most amazing and unique new species.

The best estimates place the number of discovered species at about 1.75 million. They also state that there could be 5 million, 10 million or maybe even more new species out there to be discovered.

New species are being found everywhere; high in secluded mountains, in untouched jungles and oceans and even in our back gardens.

The amazing stars of our short film, only now captured on film for the first time, remind us of the wonder of nature and of why we need to protect it.

The barreleye

Scientists have long known that deep in the ocean, just where the light from the surface finally fades into darkness lives a remarkable animal. But it wasn't until very recently when a team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute sent down to depths of 600m an unmanned, undersea robot that the first images of the incredible barreleye fish emerged. Ever since the mystery was revealed, the barreleye has become famous for its unique transparent forehead and rotating eyes that allow it to look up to see the silhouettes of prey and then look forward when eating.

Find out more from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

The colossal squid

Living in the deepest parts of the southern oceans, very little is known about the colossal squid. Only captured on film 5 years ago, what we do know is that the colossal squid is much heavier and massive than even the giant squid which can reach 13m long.

Find out more about the colossal and giant squid

The Chan's megastick

The longest insect in the world, the Chan's Megastick, found in the forests of Borneo, was only described by science in 2008. Over half a metre long and living high in the forest canopy, only three specimens of this elusive creature have ever been found, one of which can now be seen at the Natural History Museum, London.

Varanus macraei

Monitor lizards, including the fearsome Komodo dragon, belong to a large group that live across large areas of the tropics. Despite their size, new species are still being discovered, including three new species found on tiny islands off the Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) Peninsula of Indonesian Papua. Probably the most spectacular is Varanus macraei, found on the island of Batanta and only described in 2001. Reaching a metre in length, this beautiful lizard is black with a striking pattern of turquoise and blue on its head and body. It's a wonder that it managed to go undetected by science for so long!

Goodman's mouse lemur

Mouse lemurs are forest dwellers that live in female-dominated groups of up to 15 animals. They spend most of their time in trees, sleeping during the day and foraging at night for insects, fruit, flowers, and other plants. They live only on the island of Madagascar and, in the past few years several new species have been discovered, including Goodman’s mouse lemur. This species was named in honour of Steven Goodman, a scientist who has conducted a large amount of biological fieldwork in Madagascar.

Cryptic forest falcon

More than 1500 types of bird are already known to live in the Amazon – and the list keeps growing! Over the past 10 years, a total of 16 new bird species have been discovered here including Micrastur mintoni a forest falcon from southern Amazonia. This bird was discovered in 2002 after alert scientists noticed it had distinctly different calls to other, very similar looking, forest falcons. Further study, including looking at old museum specimens, showed that this was a new species – but had simply gone unnoticed until now. It is known to live across a large area of the Amazon but, apart from that, very little is known about this bird.

Ranitomeya summersi

The true poison (or poison-dart) frogs are found only in the rainforests of South and Central America and more than 150 species have already been recorded. As we continue to explore the forests, more and more species are discovered. In fact, between 1999 and 2009, 24 new poison dart frogs were found, mainly in the Peruvian Amazon. One of these is the stunning orange and black Ranitomeya summersi, found in 2008. This is slightly unusual in that it tends to live on the forest floor, rather than in the trees. It may be that this is where the humidity is highest but, as with much else about this frog, we simply don’t yet know.

Kopstein’s bronzeback

Kopstein’s bronzeback is a beautiful-looking snake that can grow to an impressive 1.5 metres in length and flares its neck when threatened, revealing bright orange colouration. Found in the rainforests of SE Asia, they live in trees and feed on a diet of small prey such as frogs and lizards. Like most Dendrelaphis species, the Kopstein’s bronzeback has an aggressive disposition with a painful bite.

Pygmy sloth

This sloth species lives on a single island, the Isla Escudo de Veraguas off the Caribbean coast of Panama. With an adult size of only about 50 cm long and weighing a mere 3.5 kg, this is significantly smaller than its mainland relatives. Unlike other sloths which tend to live in rainforests, this species is known exclusively in the red mangrove forests that surround the island at close to sea level. The global population is assumed to be less than 500 individuals and, as a result, it's classified as Critically Endangered.

Gunnison sage-grouse

It may be surprising that even in a country as well documented and studied as the USA, new species are being found. This bird, first described as a new species in 2000, is a good example of that happening. Now confined within a total area of less than 500 km2 this bird is under threat from habitat loss and increasing development. Like all sage grouse, they show very impressive ‘lekking’ behaviour during the breeding season. This is when males put on showy displays, to attract a female mate, which involves puffing up their chests and brushing their wings against their pouch feathers to produce a loud swishing noise.

Rio Acarí marmoset

Often when we talk of new species discoveries, what we mean is that this is a species new to western science. In many instances, the species is well known by communities living in the home area – it just hasn’t come to the attention of scientists. The Rio Acarí marmoset, discovered in 2000, is a perfect example of this. Living in the lowland Amazon rainforests, it was found being kept as a pet by inhabitants of a small settlement near the Rio Acarí, in central Amazonia, Brazil. Although well known by this community the species has not been studied in the wild, and there is currently no reliable information on its population status or major threats.

Kipunji

The Udzungwa mountains in Tanzania have been the site of several exciting new species including a possible new species of partridge as well as the world’s largest elephant shrew. However, a particularly important find happened in 2003 with the discovery of a new monkey. This was clearly a new species but studies have since shown it to be so distinctive that it has been placed in a group all of its own. Locally called the kipunji it lives in the forests of the Udzungwa mountains and prefers steep-sided gullies and valley edges close to streams. However, their future is far from secure – with an estimated population of much less than 1.500 individuals, it has been classified as Critically Endangered.

Sunda clouded leopard

Clouded leopards must rank as some of the most beautiful cats in the world and their existence has been known to science for almost 200 years. The Sunda clouded leopard lives only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and is a good example of a species hiding in plain sight. Biologists had believed that this species was the same as the clouded leopard that lives on the mainland of SE Asia and it was only as a result of genetic studies in 2006 that it became apparent that this was indeed a totally distinct species – and given new name accordingly.

Triton bay epaulette shark

This shark was one of two new shark species from Papua that were formally described in 2008. It is often seen resting on the bottom, occasionally observed slowly swimming or 'walking' over the bottom by using its pectoral and pelvic fins. It is generally sedentary during the day, sheltering under rocky outcrops or tabular corals.

Apistogramma baenschi

This species – a type of dwarf cichlid - was discovered along the Rio Mayo in the Peruvian Amazon. It lives in small black-water forest streams amidst tree roots and is one of an amazing 257 fish species discovered in the Amazon between 1999-2009. The males, which grow up to about 9 cm in length, are more brightly coloured than the smaller females. Unfortunately this attractiveness may be causing problems since they are now being collected for sale in to the aquarium trade.