Scientists discover 146 new species of plants, animals and fungi across the world in 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, it leaves behind major scientific breakthroughs, as well as new discoveries. This year, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences found 146 new species of animals, plants, and fungi that were previously unknown to science. 

The beings were found scattered all around the globe, from the depths of Maldives’ coral reefs to the heights of Californian mountains. According to CNN, the discoveries come from six continents and three oceans. Among the species discovered are 14 flowering plants, 30 ants, 44 lizards, 13 sea stars, seven fish, two spiders, three moths, four sharks, and one toad.

28 new Bavayia geckos were found inhabiting multiple South Pacific islands, thanks to Academy research associate Aaron Bauer’s work. The geckos bore resemblance to small forest geckos, with similar physical attributes like white and brown spots. “Nearly every mountain in New Caledonia hosts a unique Bavayia species, and these habitats share many of the same conditions. The result is several species that are often almost indistinguishable from one another,” Bauer said.

Why are ecological discoveries so important?

Another team consisting of arachnology curator Lauren Esposito and two high school students from San Francisco Bay Area named Harper Forbes and Prakrit Jain, found two new species of scorpions- Paruroctonus soda and Paruroctonus conclusus. “The entire species could be wiped out with the construction of a single solar farm, mine, or housing development. Mapping the biodiversity of a given area can help build the case for why that land should be protected.”

The significance of making new discoveries of flora and fauna is that it helps researchers identify vulnerable ecosystems that need to be more protected. “As we’ve seen over the last two weeks at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, biodiversity science is at the forefront of global conservation action and is key in unifying nations and equipping them with the tools and information necessary to reverse species extinction rates by 2030,” said Academy virologist and Chief of Science Shannon Bennett.