The Natural History Museum has just announced the discovery of new animal and plant species in 2022. Scientists have found some incredible creatures, including tiny frogs the size of a 10c coin, and 19 new types of stick insects!
By giving them scientific names, experts hope to protect these amazing creatures in the future.
Most animals on Earth are invertebrates, which means they don’t have a backbone, so it’s no surprise that most of the new species described this year fall into this category. There were 84 new species of beetle, 34 species of moths, 13 species of trematode worms, and even two species of bumblebees in Asia!
The largest group of new discoveries was the wasp, with 85 new species identified. Some of these tiny creatures have “beautiful, feather-like wings” that belong to a group containing some of the smallest insects in the world!
But that’s not all, museum scientists also discovered new vertebrates, including a new species of gecko from the Seychelles, three species of fish, and seven species of frogs.
Prehistoric animals also made the list, with three new species of dinosaurs and the oldest known lizard ever found.
These discoveries are exciting for scientists and nature lovers alike!
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