New Species Naming: Scientists from the Natural History Museum (NHM) and their global partners named almost 200 new species in 2024, highlighting the ongoing discovery of unique organisms around the world.
Vegetarian Piranha: One of the notable discoveries was Myloplus sauron, a vegetarian piranha from the Amazon, named after the "eye" motif from The Lord of the Rings due to its orange and black markings.
Snake Named After DiCaprio: A new snake species, Anguiculus dicaprioi, was discovered in the Indian Himalayas and named after actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, honoring his efforts in environmental conservation.
Complete UK Dinosaur: The most complete dinosaur found in the UK in over a century was named Comptonatus chasei. Its fossilized bones were discovered on the Isle of Wight in 2013.
Marine Biodiversity: Two new species of scavenging amphipods were named by marine biologist Eva Stewart.
Pterosaur from Isle of Skye: A flying dinosaur, Ceoptera evansae, was named from fossilized bones found on the Isle of Skye, filling a gap in knowledge about flying reptiles from the middle Jurassic period.
Naming for Conservation: Experts, like botanist Sandra Knapp and palaeontologist Paul Barrett, emphasize the importance of naming new species as part of understanding ecosystems.