While most weevils are monochromatic, the newly described Pachyrhynchus obumanuvu displays a stunning contrast of green and black. Photo Credit: Analyn Cabras © 2021)
Animals USABiodiversity Win: Say Hello to These 70 New Species!
Scientists affiliated with a California-based research institute managed to identify 70 new plant and animal species in 2021, thus improving our knowledge of the planet’s biodiversity and our capabilities in better conserving it.
“As stewards of our natural world, we need to play an active role in regenerating ecosystems,” says Academy virologist and Chief of Science Shannon Bennett, Ph.D. “Our relationship to nature improves with each new species, deepening our understanding of how our planet works and can best respond to an uncertain future. As we continue to battle a changing climate and a global pandemic, there has never been a more crucial time to protect the variety of life on Earth.”
The team at the California Academy of Sciences, United States searched across five continents and three oceans. In the end, they were able to identify 14 beetles, 12 sea slugs, nine ants, seven fish, six scorpions, five sea stars, five flowering plants, four sharks, three spiders, two sea pens, one moss, one pygmy pipehorse, and one caecilian.
