Humans have explored the deepest points of the oceans and the highest peaks on Earth, not to mention the surface of the moon. But our planet remains a source of surprising discoveries. In the first half of 2023, researchers identified dozens of species previously unknown to science, from tiny insects to amphibians, fish, and mammals. Here are just a handful of the amazing new fauna we’ve recently met.
DiCaprio’s Snail-Eating Snake (Sibon irmelindicaprioae)
This red-eyed, strikingly patterned species of snail-eating snake makes its home in the treetops of rainforests in Colombia and Panama — but it also has a connection to Hollywood. Noted environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio named the rare reptile after his mom, Irmelin, in an effort to highlight the risks it faces. (The actor partnered with the Nature and Culture International nonprofit to draw awareness to the new species.) DiCaprio’s snail-eating snake and four other new snake species, described in February 2023 in the journal ZooKeys, are threatened by rampant gold mining in the rainforest, which destroys the leafy cover the snakes need to survive.
Eastern Mindanao Gymnure (Podogymnura intermedia)
A group of zoologists from Chicago’s Field Museum, the Philippines, and elsewhere found a new species of gymnure, a hedgehog-like mammal with soft fur and a long probing nose, that lives only on two mountains on the Philippines’ second-largest island. P. intermedia’s habitat encompasses high-elevation forests on Mount Hamiguitan and Mount Kampalili, two peaks in the little-explored Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, which supports numerous endemic plant and animal species. The researchers described the new gymnure — also known as a moonrat — in the journal Zootaxa in January 2023.
A New Spiny-Throated Reed Frog (Hyperolius ukaguruensis)
According to a February 2023 report in the journal PLOS ONE, DNA analysis confirmed this diminutive amphibian, native to Tanzania’s Ukaguru Mountains, is a new species of spiny-throated reed frog. Unlike most of the world’s frogs, H. ukaguruensis doesn’t croak — and scientists are not sure how the creatures communicate with one another. Described as “golden greenish-brown” and found in dense swamps, the frog may already be at risk from human exploitation of its forested home.
A “Gummy Squirrel” (Psychropotes longicauda)
In a huge swath of the Pacific between Hawaii and Mexico, scientists surveyed areas of the deep ocean and discovered more than 5,000 species of sponges, arthropods, worms, sea urchins, and other invertebrates new to science. One of them was Psychropotes longicauda, a sea cucumber nicknamed a “gummy squirrel” due to its long curved tail, which lives at a depth of 16,000 feet. The findings, reported in the journal Current Biology in May 2023, shed light on a little-known part of the seabed that’s also being eyed for deep-sea mining.
A New Demon Catshark (Apristurus ovicorrugatus)
A new type of shark from a genus with a dramatic name was identified in May 2023. Demon catsharks (Apristurus) scuttle along the seabed, gobbling up benthic prey; the new species also has spooky, catlike eyes with glowing white irises. Fortunately, the scientists who discovered the fish didn’t meet it in a dark alley — they happened upon an egg case with unusual ridges in a museum collection. They believed it was a novel catshark species, but couldn’t test the theory without a DNA sample from a live specimen. By chance, a research vessel picked up a catshark carrying the exact egg case, allowing the scientists to confirm their hunch. The evidence was reported in the Journal of Fish Biology.
Stony Fork Crayfish (Cambarus lapidosus) and Falls Crayfish (Cambarus burchfielae)
Not all newly discovered species are as charismatic as a catshark. Two new species of crayfish — freshwater crustaceans resembling tiny brown lobsters, nicknamed “mudbugs” — were unearthed in the scenic Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina in April 2023. Each is found in only one small stream system, according to the study in Zootaxa. The Stony Fork crayfish is named after its home waterway, while the Falls crayfish is endemic to the Lewis Fork; both streams represent the entire ranges of the two species. They bring the total number of crayfish species in the state to 51, yet there may be many more lurking under rocks.
Río Negro Stream Frog (Hyloscirtus tolkieni)
This novel amphibian’s colors caught the eyes of researchers as they bushwhacked through the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park in the Andes of central Ecuador. Larger than other members of the genus Hyloscirtus, the new species has a mottled grayish-green back, a yellow belly covered in black splotches, long speckled yellow toes, and rosy pink eyes. The discoverers named the multihued frog, which depends on fresh, clear-flowing mountain streams for its survival, after The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. “The amazing colors of the new species evoke the magnificent creatures that seem to only exist in fantasy worlds,” the authors wrote in ZooKeys.
Nelson’s Pouncer Grasshopper (Melanoplus nelsoni)
The Edwards Plateau of central Texas was once a vast grassland with hills formed by eroding limestone. When settlers established permanent farms and towns, the grassland changed into a scrubby landscape punctuated by groves of small trees. Though humans and their livestock have altered the land, scientists are still discovering new species in this biodiverse region. In June 2023, scientists announced they’d found seven new flightless grasshopper species, one of which they named for Texas icon Willie Nelson. The insect, dubbed “Nelson’s Pouncer,” measures less than an inch long and makes its home among the ashe juniper forests of Texas Hill Country. The findings appeared in ZooKeys.