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The Power and Thrill of Naming: Undiscovered Animals

Untraced tracts of taxonomy...  

Despite extensive scientific exploration and cataloguing that goes back centuries, new animals are still being discovered every year.  While most recent species are small, surprises still abound.  The megamouth shark--the third-largest shark in the world--was only discovered in 1976.  

It is therefore a taxonomic treat to trace out another edition of the Power and Thrill of Naming Things, an exercise in creativity.  I've selected a variety of environments and included representatives from six major groupings of animals: arthropods, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.  The ocean gets extra fish, because ocean.

Forest/Jungle
  • Giant ground bee
  • Horned freshwater anglerfish
  • Incognito dart frog
  • Spiny banded snake
  • Canopy fairy hummingbird
  • Speckled tree vole

Mountain
  • Cyst tick
  • High-lake cichlid
  • Cyclical toad
  • Cliff gecko
  • Crag swift
  • Saber-toothed ocelot

Underground/Cave
  • Shovel scorpion
  • Greater cave skate
  • Magnus newt
  • Eel crocodile
  • Burrowing raptor
  • Hairless shrike bat

Desert/Tundra
  • Thorn-bed beetle
  • Stream icefish
  • Button toad
  • Wandering sand turtle
  • Micro dive penguin
  • Siberian unicorn

Ocean
  • Sea centipede
  • Estuary salamander
  • Cryptic kelp iguana
  • Cloudy glass gull
  • Dwarf nomad porpoise
  • Methuselah shark
  • Armored oarfish
  • Whiskered tripod fish
  • Deep-water soft smelt
  • Elephant eel

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