Newly Discovered Species

What do you get when you cross a dog and a fox?

Answer: A really cool hybrid (above). In 2021, someone brought a “dog” to a rehabilitation center in Vacaria, Brazil that had been injured by a car. However, upon further examination, they discovered she wasn’t a dog. She also preferred to eat rats over boring dog food. Disruptions of natural habitats in South America have led to increasing interactions between wild canids and domestic dogs. In this case, scientists discovered the […]

Continue Reading →

What happens in a forest doesn’t always stay in the forest…

So, a male scarlet tanager flies into a forest where he meets an irresistible rose-breasted grosbeak. They share some tasty insects, and the rest is history. Or is it? What happens in a forest, doesn’t always stay in a forest. In fact, this encounter resulted in a hybrid: This male bird, found in Pennsylvania, is the hybrid offspring of a male scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) and a female rose-breasted grosbeak […]

Continue Reading →

Top New Species in 2020

I think most of us can agree that we are delighted to see the end of 2020. As we say good riddance and look forward to a brighter future, I thought it would be fun to consider one of the positive aspects of this past year by taking a peek at some of my favorite newly discovered or described species in 2020. Achalinus zugorum While there are many species of […]

Continue Reading →

There it is!

Somali elephant shrews were thought to be extinct until someone caught a glimpse of this little fellow. It is the first sighting of a Somali elephant shrew in 50 years! This adorable creature is actually related to elephants and aardvarks. While they typically eat ants, researchers were able to attract this shrew using oatmeal, peanut butter, and marmite…yum!

Continue Reading →

71 New Species Described in 2019

Scientists at the California Academy of Sciences described 71 new species of plants or animals in 2019. According to the Academy, these included 17 fish, 15 geckos, 8 flowering plants, 6 sea slugs, 5 arachnids, 4 eels, 3 ants, 3 skinks, 2 skates, 2 wasps, 2 mosses, 2 corals, 2 lizards, and a partridge in a pear tree. Okay, just kidding about that last one. Dr. Shannon Bennett, Chief of […]

Continue Reading →

Gynandromorphs

Talking about having a split personality. A recent story from Live Science reported on a half male/half female chimera cardinal that was discovered in Pennsylvania (pictured below). Not only are the bird’s feathers split (red feathers are found among male and tan among female cardinals), typically the brain is also split. This type of a split sexuality is termed gynandromorph. According to the article, this  anomaly has been observed in birds, […]

Continue Reading →