“New” Species Was Thought to Be Extinct for Millions of Years!

In 2023, various new species have been seen, spotted, discovered, rediscovered, and even one that was believed to be extinct for millions of years!

Extinct for millions of years, the Icaronycteris gunnelli was discovered this year when two fossils preserved at the American Museum of Natural History and the Royal Ontario Museum were put under the microscope. Turns out that the 52-million-year-old I. gunnelli was part of a previously unidentified species.

Five new munidopsid squat lobsters – Munidopsis girguisi, M. nautilus, M. testuda, M. costesi, and M. hendrickxi – were discovered at the bottom of the East Pacific. The elusive Sierra Nevada red fox has been spotted four times after not being sighted for nearly a century. The fossilized remains of two prehistoric penguin species – the “largest penguin ever to have lived,” as the researchers put it – were found in 57-million-year-old boulders cracked open by a tide. The discovery of the Horaglanis populi, a new species of catfish, proves that subterranean fish species continue to be underestimated. A new medicinal mushroom species, the Hericium ophelieae, has been discovered in the Knysna forests of South Africa. A new species of tree frog known as Scinax pyroinguinis thrives in habitat loss caused by wildfires. A new species of snake named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi – in honour of the Star Wars actor for his environmental advocacy – has been discovered and is harmless to humans.