The Most Fascinating Species Discovered In 2022

The diversity of life on our planet is astounding – and we've barely even tapped the surface of what's out there. According to a 2011 study published in PLOS Biology, scientists believe that there are around 8.7 million undiscovered species on Earth, with 2.2 million of these living in the world's oceans. As Smithsonian Magazine notes, only around two million species have been identified and described. This means that 86% of the world's living eukaryotes – that is, plants, animals, fungi, algae, and protists (per Nature) – remain unknown to science.

Many of these mysterious species live in the sea, which in some ways remains as foreign as another planet. Scientists are doing their best to describe as many of Earth's species as possible, but time is running out. As Smithsonian Magazine notes, Earth is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction, set in motion about 10,000 years ago by changing climate and human activities. And as mankind's population grows, biodiversity continues to decline.

According to the Natural History Museum, habitat destruction, pollution, the introduction of invasive species, and unsustainable use are the main drivers of modern extinction. If current trends continue, scientists estimate that 75% of Earth's species will go extinct within the next century (per Smithsonian Magazine). Luckily, genetic technology has improved tremendously in recent years, allowing scientists to quickly identify, describe, and hopefully protect a staggering 18,000 new species each year. Of the many species discovered worldwide in 2022, here are a few of the most fascinating.

Even common owls are a rare sight, owing to their nocturnal lifestyles. But the newly described Principé scops owl took it one step further. According to a 2022 study published in ZooKeys, this tiny owl was discovered living in old-growth forests on Principé Island in Africa's Gulf of Guinea. Though it's a small island with an area of only 53 square miles, it took biologists years to notice the bird due to its remote location and elusive nature.

It was the owl's unique insect-like call – often issued just after dusk in duets – that alerted biologists to its presence. This vocalization, along with its appearance and genetic profile, differentiated it from other scops owls. According to a 2022 study published in Bird Conservation International, surveys revealed that the species only lives in the island's lowlands, meaning it occupies a total area of around five square miles. Its estimated population was just 1,000 to 1,500 individuals at the time of the study, meaning it is likely to be considered critically endangered.

Luckily, the owl's range falls within the island's Príncipe Obô Natural Park – a protected area designated to preserve the island's old-growth forests – which will help with conservation efforts. In a press release, Dr. Martin Melo, one of the researchers who described the owl, stated, "The discovery of a new bird species is always an occasion to celebrate and an opportunity to reach out to the general public on the subject of biodiversity."

Discovering a new mammal is always exciting, particularly when it's one as big as the southern maned sloth. As IFL Science notes, a British zoologist named John Edward Gray had insisted that there were two different species of maned sloths – unique forest mammals with heads that resemble coconuts – in Brazil back in the 1800s, rather than just the one described in 1811. No one listened at the time, but, nearly two centuries later, scientists realized that he was right.

According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Mammalogy, researchers examined the genetics, distribution, and physical characteristics of the Brazilian sloths in question and determined that they were, in fact, two separate species: the previously described northern maned sloth (pictured) and the new-to-science southern maned sloth. As their names suggest, the two species are separated geographically, with the northern maned sloth living in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Sergipe and its southern counterpart living in Rio de Janeiro and Espiríto Santo.

As the study notes (via IFL Science), the two sloth populations are separated by a river – the Rio Doce – and this, combined with habitats fragmented by human activities like logging, likely caused the two populations to stop interbreeding, leading to the formation of two distinct species. Because each species has a small range – rather than one larger shared range – they are both considered more at risk of extinction.

While it's usually dedicated researchers finding new species, this isn't always the case. There are so many undiscovered species out there that any observant person can make a lucky discovery. And, as Smithsonian Magazine notes, that's exactly what happened when JoCho Sippawat, a popular nature YouTuber, found a most unusual tarantula practically in his backyard in northwestern Thailand. Intrigued, he snapped some pictures of the spider and sent them to a local expert, who was equally intrigued.

In July 2020, scientists surveyed the area and collected some specimens. According to a 2022 study published in ZooKeys, they quickly confirmed that it was not only a new species but a new genus of spiders. The zebra-stripe-legged tarantula lives and nests exclusively inside Asian bamboo stalks – a truly atypical behavior, even among other tree-climbing tarantulas. The unique spiders rely on other animals, like carpenter bees, to open up holes in the stalks that they then create silk-lined burrows in.

This complete reliance on bamboo has earned the species the nickname "bambootula" (per ScienceNews). As Dr. Narin Chomphuphuang – one of the researchers who described the species – noted in a guest blog on Pensoft, this puts the species at risk of extinction. "Bamboo is important to this tarantula, not only in terms of lifestyle but also because it can only be found in high hill forests in the northern part of Thailand," Narin stated, adding, "It is not an exaggeration to say that they are now Thailand's rarest tarantulas."

Sometimes, it pays to take another look at species scientists think they have already figured out. Such was the case with a group of brightly colored sunbirds living in the Indo-Pacific. According to a 2022 study published in the Zoological Journal of Linnean Society, researchers analyzed sunbird DNA, songs, and physical characteristics and determined that birds classified as olive-backed sunbirds and black sunbirds actually likely include several undescribed species.

What's more, they discovered that sunbirds living on an archipelago off the coast of Indonesia were a completely new species. The Wakatobi sunbird – named for the Wakatobi Islands it calls home – is a small black and yellow songbird with a curved bill and iridescent blue throat. While nearly identical to the closely related olive-backed sunbird (pictured), the Wakatobi sunbird lives only on the four islands of the archipelago. It also sings a different song. 

In an email interview with MongaBay, researchers David J. Kelly and Fionn Ó Marcaigh expressed concern for the new species' future, given development plans and increased trapping for the pet trade, and stressed the importance of protecting the Wakatobi Islands and their wildlife. "The identification of the Wakatobi sunbird serves to remind us that biodiversity is everywhere," Kelly stated in a press release, adding, "This bird wasn't found in a remote rainforest, but along the scrubby margins of busy towns and villages. Let us hope the children of the Wakatobi will be able to enjoy these special birds for generations to come."

Sometimes all that's needed to find a new species is more eyes. As PhysOrg reports, citizen science came through in 2019 when two Bay Area high school students – Harper Forbes and Prakrit Jain – found a six-year-old picture of an unidentified scorpion while searching iNaturalist, a community platform that allows users to share data about the natural world. The scorpion had been photographed at Koehn Lake, an ephemeral playa in California's Mojave Desert. Suspecting it might be a new species, the students enlisted the aid of Dr. Lauren Esposito, the curator of arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences.

They then spent their summer break using tongs and black lights to collect scorpions out in the desert. While investigating the first mystery species, a second unknown scorpion at Soda Lake – another playa – surfaced on iNaturalist in 2021. It turned out that two new species had been discovered. Dr. Esposito published the findings – co-authored by the two students – in a 2022 issue of ZooKeys.

Both species belonged to the same genus, a group known as playa scorpions due to their preference for living in dry, salty desert lake beds. Each scorpion is restricted to a single playa, meaning both species have very small ranges of only around a few square miles. Luckily, Koehn Lake sits on protected land. But the same cannot be said of Soda Lake. As Forbes told PhysOrg, "The entire species could be wiped out with the construction of a single solar farm, mine, or housing development."

New species aren't always discovered in far-flung, remote places. Sometimes, they are right under our noses. According to a 2022 study published in Biodiversity Data Journal, a new slug species was discovered in the middle of Europe during a citizen science expedition – and a pretty flashy slug at that. As its name suggests, the giant keelback slug is large, measuring nearly eight inches long when fully stretched (per Lab Manager). It is also a looker, with dark skin and a prominent ridge on its back.

Researchers distinguished it from a closely related species (pictured) by genetics and differences in reproductive structures. Giant keelback slugs are members of the genus Limax, a group known for what the researchers refer to in the study as "genital extravagance." They have the longest penises in the animal world for their size and engage in dramatic mating dances, in which two hermaphroditic slugs coil their long genitals around one another.

Researchers believe there are more Limax slugs to be found on Europe's Balkan Peninsula and think it could even be the site where the genus first evolved. As for the citizen scientists who took part in the 2018 expedition that resulted in the discovery, the experience created a lasting memory. As Rick de Vries – the guy who found the first giant keelback slug – told Lab Manager, "It's an incredible thrill to hold an animal in your hands and to know that it is still unknown to science."

Sadly, some new species are hard to find simply because there aren't too many of them out there. Such was the case for the Chiriquí fire salamander. According to a 2022 study published in ZooKeys, this striking, bright orange salamander was identified in Panama when researchers discovered it had slightly different coloration, toe-webbing, and teeth than other species of the area. Genetic analysis later revealed that it was, in fact, a new species.

Due to its small range, researchers have already recommended that the species be listed as critically endangered to afford it – and its limited forested habitat – greater protection from disruptive human activities. This unique salamander is known from only one location in the rainforest of Cordillera de Talamanca, an understudied mountain range in western Panama.

As UNESCO notes, the Cordillera de Talamanca is known for its biodiversity and endemic wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. 10,000 species of flowering plants, 600 species of birds, 250 species of reptiles and amphibians, 215 species of mammals, and 115 species of fish call the mountain range home – and, of course, these are just the species we know about.