New Animal Species Discovered in 2022

Synapturanus danta Perhaps, whether or not you were fans, you will remember the famous chocolate frogs in the Harry Potter series. A new species of frog, discovered in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, is highly reminiscent of those magical treats.

Hydnum reginae On first hearing its name, it might sound like the Queen’s hedgehog could be an animal, but it’s actually a fungus. Known as Hydnum albidum for over 130 years, it was thought to be widespread in both Europe and America, but genetic analyses have revealed clear differences between the two variants.

Lisu Wren Babbler Six birdwatchers trekked to a peak in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district in search of the rare and elusive grey-bellied wren babbler. They recorded a potentially new species of songbird they named after the Lisu, the local community.

Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa This is another case where genetic and microscopic differences have enabled – for the first time in history – a researcher in the Maldives to discover this new species: a dazzling rainbow-coloured fish. An unsettling fact relating to this discovery is that the fish was widely sold as an aquarium fish before its unique status was discovered.

Bradypus crinitus The species that was always previously known as the maned sloth, thanks to DNA analysis and some behavioural differences, has now been subdivided into two different species. The new species, called the southern maned sloth, has a flat round head reminiscent of a coconut.

Lygodactylus madagascariensis A whopping eight new species of gecko have been discovered in Madagascar, all a couple of centimetres long. Until recently, they had all been grouped under the name Lygodactylus madagascariensis, but scientists believe that as many as 18 different genetic differentiations may exist. Madagascar is a treasure trove of endemic species.

Stylobates calcifer A new species of anemone has been discovered in Japanese waters. Its distinctive feature is that it seems to live only on the shells of one species of hermit crab. In this case, scientists believe that this is a case of symbiosis in which one of the species requires the other for its survival.

Taksinus bambus Arachnid nicknamed Bambootula, discovered by Thai naturalist Youtuber JoCho Sippawat, whose channel has over 3 million subscribers. The tarantula lives inside bamboo stalks, but only in bamboo plants belonging to the genus Gigantochloa.

Otus bikegila On the small island of Príncipe, in the Gulf of Guinea, a new species of scops owl has been discovered. There are approximately 1,000 individuals present on the island and for this reason, researchers suggested that the IUCN list the species as critically endangered.