Latest news with #Kexue
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
New species found with babies crawling on its back and four other discoveries
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All linked stories were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Unique creatures, odd animals and new species are being discovered across the planet. Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses. Learn more about some recent new species discoveries: 'Large' venomous creature — with babies on back — is new species in Thailand In the forests of Doi Phu Kha National Park in Thailand, a new species of scorpion called Scorpiops doiphukha was discovered. This 'large' scorpion, found hiding in rock crevices, is notable for carrying its young on its back. The species thrives in the dense, humid forests of northern Thailand. | Published June 12 | Read More | Deep-sea creature — with feather-like body — is new ocean species. Take a look Researchers exploring a cold seep in the South China Sea discovered a new species of crinoid named Endoxocrinus kexuei. This feather-like creature, found attached to rotted wood 2,700 feet below the surface, belongs to a family of sea lilies known for their suspension-feeding habits. The species was named after the ocean vessel 'Kexue' for its 'significant contribution' to biological research. | Published June 13 | Read More | 'Long'-tailed creature found hiding in fallen log at night. It's a new species In the forests of Thailand and Malaysia, researchers discovered a new species of gecko called Cyrtodactylus peninsularis, or the peninsula bent-toed gecko. These nocturnal lizards, with 'long' tails and 'large' eyes, were found climbing tree trunks and branches. The species is named for its presence on the Thai-Malay Peninsula. | Published June 13 | Read More | Creature with 'horned' eyelids discovered on China mountain. It's a new species On a mountain peak in Yezhong Nature Reserve, China, researchers found a new species of frog named Boulenophrys yezhongensis, or the Yezhong horned toad. This frog, with 'horned' eyelids and a 'shield-like' snout, is adapted to high elevations and cold temperatures. The species is at risk due to its limited distribution and potential climate change impacts. | Published June 16 | Read More | River creature — with more than 100 teeth — found as new species in Zimbabwe In the highland rivers of Zimbabwe, researchers discovered two new species of suckermouth catfish, including Chiloglanis asperocutis, known as the 'rough skin' suckermouth catfish. This species, found in the Honde River, is notable for its ridged body and high number of teeth, ranging from 68 to 128, which is more than other related species in southern Africa. The second species, Chiloglanis compactus, or the dwarf suckermouth catfish, is the smallest of its kind, measuring just 1.7 inches long, and was found in the Pungwe and Buzi river systems. | Published June 18 | Read More | McClatchy News continues to follow the discovery and sightings of unusual and intriguing species. Check back for the latest stories.
Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Deep-sea creature — with feather-like body — is new ocean species. Take a look
The ocean floor is home to a menagerie of odd and peculiar creatures. Now, armed with a remote controlled vehicle, researchers in the South China Sea have discovered another. During surveys from the Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers explored a cold seep in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, according to a study published June 12 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. Cold seeps are cracks in the seafloor where chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and methane leak into the water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These chemically-rich areas are only habitable for specially adapted animals. Researchers operating the deep-sea submersible FaXian (meaning discovery in Chinese) found a 'rotten piece of wood' about 2,700 feet below the surface, according to the study. Sticking out of the wood and flowing in the water were two 'unusual,' feather-like creatures attached to the rotting material by thick stalks, researchers said. Genetic testing confirmed the stalked creatures belong to a new species of crinoid, also known as sea lilies or feather stars, according to NOAA. Endoxocrinus kexuei, or the Kexue crinoid, was named after the ocean vessel 'Kexue' from the Chinese Academy of Science for its 'significant contribution to the biological research in the South China Sea,' researchers said. The crinoid has between 20 and 22 arms that can reach up to 5.5 inches long, according to the study. The animal's stalk is shorter than its arms, about 2.5 inches long, researchers said. The crinoids are 'pale yellow-pink in fresh samples,' then white in preservation, according to the study. Crinoids appear plant-like but are animals with digestive and nervous systems, according to NOAA. Their bodies are made of small calcium carbonate plates held together by ligaments and muscles. Some crinoids have as few as five arms, while others can have as many as 180, NOAA says. 'All crinoids are suspension feeders, subsisting on the smorgasbord of small plankton and detritus that drifts past their outstretched arms,' NOAA feet ('the same structures that line the undersides of sea star arms but without the sucker tips,' NOAA says) help get the food to the creature's mouth, 'conveyor-belt style.' The new species comes from a family primarily found in tropical waters in the northeastern Atlantic, northern Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific Ocean, according to the study. The new species was found in the South China Sea, a contested body of water in southeastern Asia that borders Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The research team includes Shao'e Sun, Zijie Mei and Zhongli Sha.
Miami Herald
14-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Fragile' deep-sea creature — with 20 tentacles — discovered as new species in Pacific
Deep below the surface of the ocean in the South China Sea, a robot named 'discovery' searched the seafloor for life. Faxian, meaning discovery in Chinese, is a remote-operated vehicle submersible deployed from the research vessel Kexue, meaning science. During four surveys in the western Pacific from 2013 to 2018, the robot collected ocean specimens and brought them to the surface for examination, according to a study published March 13 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. In 2018, it discovered a new species of sea cucumber. While the robot was about 4,400 feet below the surface, a cylindrical figure appeared in the water, according to the study. It was about a foot long and 'yellowish white' in color, researchers said. As the sea cucumber became trapped in the robot's mechanical hand, researchers found its body to be 'fragile' and thinly walled, according to the study. The animal's skin was 'glass-like' and 'calcareous,' or hard and chalky, researchers said. This delicate exterior is indicative of the animal's genus, Amphigymnas, which includes species with the same fragile skin, according to the study. The species was named Amphigymnas ganquani, or the Ganquan Plateau sea cucumber, researchers said. The sea cucumber is also covered with tentacles and papillae, or fleshy protrusions, according to the study. The animal has 20 shield-shaped tentacles and rows of paired papillae. There are more than 1,800 sea cucumber species spread out across the world's oceans, and they play a key role in their ecosystems through feeding, producing poop that spreads nutrients and their movements, according to the study. The new species was discovered as part of surveys of seamounts, or large, underwater mountains that serve as 'diversity hotspots,' researchers said, and are largely understudied in the South China Sea. Three other new sea cucumber species were identified and described in the same study. The South China Sea sits between the southern coast of China, the eastern coast of Vietnam and the western coast of the Philippines. Control of the South China Sea is highly disputed. The research team includes Yunlu Xiao and Ning Xiao.
