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These are some of the new species discovered in 2021

2021-12-30T18:52:29.672Z


Between horned dinosaurs, Jurassic mice, and colorful beetles, 2021 was filled with discoveries of new species.


More than 500 new species were discovered in 2021 0:43

(CNN) - 

Shrimp-like creatures, an extinct dinosaur called a "hell heron" and colored beetles are among 552 new species described this year by scientists at London's Natural History Museum.

Because of the pandemic, researchers were unable to travel to international sites or visit the collections of other museums, but they did not give up on revealing a large number of species new to science, both living and extinct.

The museum, which has 80 million specimens in its collections, has a staff of 300 scientists.

Among the discoveries of dinosaurs are gigantic carnivorous predators called spinosaurids, armed with skulls similar to those of crocodiles that helped them hunt prey both in water and on land that inhabited the Isle of Wight 125 million years ago.

Two new species of spinosaurid dinosaurs were discovered from fossils found on the Isle of Wight: one called a "hell heron" and the other a "shore hunter."

The first of the two spinosaurids was baptized as

Ceratosuchops inferodios

, which means "heron from hell with the face of a horned crocodile".

In life, the dinosaur had horns and bumps in the forehead region.

The spinosaurid probably also hunted similarly to herons, which can capture prey both in water and on land.

  • The "horned crocodile-faced hell heron" is one of two new dinosaur discoveries on the Isle of Wight

The second spinosaurid is

Riparovenator milnerae

, or "Milner's shore hunter."

Both predators were probably about 30 feet in length and had three-foot-long skulls.

Spinosaurid fossils have been discovered all over the world, but it is possible that they evolved in Europe before migrating to other areas.

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A decades-old fossil from the Isle of Wight, often called the UK's dinosaur capital, also

revealed Brighstoneus simmondsi

, an iguanodon with an unusual snout.

Fossil finds elsewhere revealed Africa's first ankylosaur, a Chinese sauropod, and the oldest carnivorous dinosaur found in the UK.

This illustration shows Pendraig milnerae, the oldest carnivorous dinosaur in the UK.

"It has been a fantastic year for the description of new dinosaurs, especially from the UK," Susannah Maidment, senior researcher for Paleobiology at the Museum of Natural History, said in a statement.

"These specimens are part of a vast paleobiological puzzle that allows us to understand the environments of the past and how they changed over time."

Other discoveries of ancient creatures in 2021 included spiders trapped in amber, a herbivorous relative of the crocodile, and a "Jurassic mouse" that once ran between the feet of dinosaurs 166 million years ago in what is now Scotland.

  • Prehistoric spider that cared for its young was trapped in amber 99 million years ago

All creatures great and small

Earth is home to a wide variety of small shrimp-like crustaceans called copepods.

They are found around the world, from mountain lakes to ocean trenches, and scientists discovered 291 new species of copepods in 2021.

Although these creatures are tiny, they are a vital food source for fish and krill and are critical to Earth's carbon cycle and ecology.

A collection spanning six decades, created by French marine zoologist Françoise Monniot and her late husband, marine biologist Claude Monniot, provided the basis for the perfect project for the pandemic.

"Not only are copepods autonomous, but many are parasites, and can be found living in virtually every other major animal group," Geoff Boxshall, a merit researcher in the museum's Life Sciences department, said in a statement.

"Completing the series of works became my project of confinement when I could not enter the museum."

The "Eurythenes atacamensis", a crustacean related to shrimp, was found scavenging in the Atacama Trench, off the coasts of Peru and Chile.

In addition to wasps, moths, crabs and flies, the researchers also found 90 new species of beetles, including a bright purple and green from India and a large-jawed species from the Philippines.

This image shows beautiful metallic beetles, with the male (left) and female (right) side by side, discovered in India.

And scientists finally solved the mystery of a Southeast Asian bush grasshopper.

The first time they heard his unusual and beautiful song was in 1990, but they did not connect it until now.

There are five new species of East African plants, commonly called balsam or "don't touch me."

These plants usually have pink or white flowers, but some have started to produce red flowers to make themselves more visible to birds.

These colorful "Impatiens capensis" or "don't touch me" can be found in East Africa.

Scientists also discovered 10 new reptiles and amphibians, including a snake called Joseph's racer.

A 185-year-old painting helped researchers describe the species.

Rhabdophis bindi is a new species of snake from India and Bangladesh that lives in tropical evergreen forests.

Unfortunately, some of the species discovered are also probably extinct, underscoring the importance of recognizing and understanding all creatures on our planet.

New Species

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-12-30

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