New species

Kermitops gratus highlights the number of specimens waiting to be described in the world’s museums.

As many as 100 new species of deep-sea animals may have been discovered living on undersea mountains.

Within the world of dinosaurs Xu Xing is a globally important figure.

Named in honour of two dedicated conservationists, the discovery of the spiders could help to protect at-risk forests on St Helena.

This year scientists at the Natural History Museum have been busy.

Specimens of the hitchhiking insect have been sitting undescribed in the Museum’s collections since 1886. 

The species has only been found once on the side of the inactive volcano. 

The new species, named Venetoraptor gassenae, suggests that the lagerpetids were more diverse than previously realised.

The discovery of a new parasitoid wasp could help to save an Endangered Pacific butterfly.

Fossils found in Peru are redefining the history of whale evolution.

A newly described palm species from Borneo has been discovered with the unusual phenomenon of producing its fruit and flowers below ground.

The oldest group of lizards has just gained their newest member.

A new fossil predator has offered an insight into the chaotic final years of the largest extinction of all time over 250 million years ago.

Protathlitis cinctorrensis is the latest to be discovered in Spain, adding to the evidence that spinosaurs first evolved in Europe.

While there are currently only two members of the genus Saurona, many more as-yet-undescribed species are thought to exist.

52-million-year-old fossils of Icaronycteris gunnelli offer researchers a deeper look at how bats evolved.

Kumimanu fordycei weighed an estimated 150 kilogrammes, demonstrating that penguins became large early in their evolution.

The race is on to learn more about these fragile forests as human impacts threaten their survival.

The ancient flying reptile would have used its toothed snout with a flared end to filter-feed.

Though it may have gone extinct over 600 years ago, understanding more about Astrochelys rogerbouri could help to save its living relatives. 

It has never been more important to describe as much of the natural world as possible.

A new species of extinct lizard has been described from the Museum's collections. 

Measuring almost four metres in length, Leviathanochelys aenigmatica reveals that giant turtles were more common than previously thought.

A fossil from China has filled in a major gap in the evolutionary tree for life on Earth.

The description of an extinct lizard-like animal may help reveal why its kind were rapidly pushed to the edge of extinction.

The tropical arachnids have been named after the musician to draw attention to the threats they face. 

While the evolutionary history of the bears remains uncertain, it contributes evidence to suggestions that panda bears could have evolved in Europe. 

The 560-million-year-old specimen of Auroralumina attenboroughii reveals that the origins of complex life may date back further than was previously known. 

Over 30 potential new species, from starfish to sea cucumbers, have been discovered living at the bottom of the sea.

The tiny arms of Tyrannosaurus rex may bring ridicule, but a new dinosaur reveals they were part of a much larger trend.

The world's largest waterlily has been discovered in the wetlands of northern Bolivia.

Nepenthes pudica is changing what we know about carnivorous species, but may already be Critically Endangered.

Measuring over a centimetre long, Thiomargarita magnifica is over 5000 times bigger than the average microbe. 

The largest meat-eating dinosaur ever found in Europe.

Some of the species, described for the first time, are smaller than a 1p coin.

Living over 40 million years before the sabre-tooth tiger, Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae may have preyed on rhinos and primates in the forests of California. 

It adds to the understanding of how these curious dinosaurs evolved and spread around the world.

There is currently not enough evidence to prove they are a genuine new species, or just a distinct population of an existing one. 

Bashanosaurus primitivus adds to evidence the group of dinosaurs may have originated in Asia.

Scientists believe there could be many as yet unknown fossils to be uncovered in the region.

A new species of crocodile-like animal has been described from fossils unearthed in Tanzania. 

A newly described species of tree has received international attention after being named in honour of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Museum scientists have described 552 new species.

A newly discovered millipede has claimed the title of the 'leggiest' animal in the world.

The largest-ever flying animal acted like a giant heron, plucking prey from the water and launching itself into the air. 

A new species of dinosaur has been discovered from the Isle of Wight after a case of mistaken identity.

The oldest-known meat-eating dinosaur discovered in the UK has been named in honour of trailblazing Museum scientist Angela Milner, who passed away in August 2021.

The moth is famous for its enormous tongue - the longest of any insect.

Two new species of carnivorous dinosaurs  have been discovered from the Isle of Wight. 

Spicomellus afer is the oldest ankylosaur ever discovered. 

Australian scientists are persevering in their quest to 'catch 'em all' as they name new species after pop culture icons.

The new species is now known as Joseph's racer, was first collected in the mid-nineteenth century.

One species is known only from a single specimen in the Museum's collection. 

The Popa langur lives on an extinct volcano in Myanmar.

The fish may be a relic population that has existed for over a hundred million years.

The extinction risk to plants could be worse than previously thought, according to a landmark report.

New species of the deep ocean floor are helping change how we think. 

Wildlife Garden ecologist Sylvia Myers introduces some of our favourite finds and how we monitor the plants and animals present.

You can't protect what you don't know. 

You are never too small to make a difference.

The beetles were collected more than 150 years ago.

A species of wormlike marine invertebrate has been uncovered.

A new species of stegosaurian dinosaur, Adratiklit boulahfa, has been described.

The new species highlight how much more there still is to learn about India's herpetofauna. 

It is thought to have lived 200 million years ago.

The Museum now has the largest collection of freshwater bryozoa in the world.

The ancient shark was found in an unusual fossil ecosystem.

It has been named after Gollum due to its underground lifestyle. 

It has been named Homo luzonensis.

Driven to extinction in the 1950s, very little is know about this species. 

The new amoeba species is the earliest of its kind ever discovered.

This velvet spider group was thought to live only in Africa and the Middle East.

They include new dinosaurs, an ancient wombat and a giant shark.

These horned frogs are named for their pointy eyebrows.

Scientists are still unsure where the species came from.

The fish burrows underground and breaths through the lining of its mouth. 

The fossils will help us understand how these creatures evolved over the past 40 million years.

The discovery is expected to be followed up by more new species.

The discovery is changing how scientists think these dinosaurs evolved. 

Researchers have discovered several new animal species living on the Pacific seafloor.

Scientists have formally given an ancient reptile a name, over 80 years since its fossils were found in Tanzania.

The arrival of a tiny moth in the Wildlife Garden sparked a scientific search of London.

A massive survey of life in the freezing seas around Antarctica has shown that they harbour many more animals than previously thought.

A new British bee has turned out to be an overlooked, long-time resident.

A chemist who collects insects as a pastime has spotted what generations of British entomologists have missed: a native British beetle, living in ancient Scottish pine forests.

An invasive species of European beetle has been found preying on pear trees in Kent orchards.

The sponges live on the ocean floor on metal-rich nodules, which are targeted by deep-sea mining companies.

Scientists have named a fearsome prehistoric crocodile after Motörhead frontman Lemmy.

Scientists have identified a new species of ancient reptile that fills a critical gap in the fossil record of dinosaur relatives.

Researchers have found seven new animal species living along the Southwest Indian Ridge, 3,000 metres beneath the surface of the ocean, in an area targeted for deep-sea mining.

Scientists have identified a distinctive new species of ringlet butterfly and named it Magneuptychia pax in recognition of the peace process in Colombia, where the butterfly lives.

A bee species more commonly found in continental Europe has been spotted in Britain for the first time.

Museum scientists have found that Osedax worms, which feed on the bones of whale carcasses, can live in shallow Mediterranean waters.

A team of scientists led by Museum researchers have identified and named a new species of viper, Bitis harenna, that lives in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park.

A new group of beetles with a heart-shaped leg joint has been discovered in the Belize rainforest by Museum scientist Max Barclay.

An unusual fossil find in south Wales has led to the discovery of a new dinosaur species.

A new species of tropical butterfly found in a remote region of South America has been named Euptychia attenboroughi, after naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Museum scientist Dr Martha Richter helps discover two new species of extinct amphibians and the oldest reptile fossil skeleton ever found in South America.

A bat preserved in alcohol for 30 years in the Museum's collection has been recognised as a new species of horseshoe bat.