Researchers have described a new species of sea slug discovered off the coast of northern Taiwan. The tiny creature, smaller than a sesame seed, was named Thecacera sesama after its distinctive markings.
The translucent nudibranch measures less than three millimeters long and features black and yellow patterns. It was first spotted in 2019 by Ho-Yeung Chan during a recreational dive near Keelung while he was an undergraduate student at National Taiwan Ocean University.
Scientists have confirmed a golf ball-sized blue octopus as a previously unknown species after examining a specimen collected from deep waters off the Galápagos Islands.
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Researchers have discovered 24 previously unknown species of deep-sea amphipods in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the central Pacific Ocean, including an entirely new superfamily. The findings, detailed in a ZooKeys special issue published on March 24, highlight previously unknown branches of life in one of Earth's least explored ecosystems. The work advances efforts to catalog biodiversity amid growing interest in deep-sea mining.
Scientists have identified a new species of ancient animal, Tanyka amnicola, from fossils unearthed in a dry riverbed in Brazil. Dating back 275 million years, this stem tetrapod featured a highly unusual twisted jaw suggesting it ground plant material. The discovery sheds light on early Permian life in Gondwana.
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Scientists have determined that structures once seen as traces of tiny animals in 540-million-year-old Brazilian rocks are actually fossilized communities of bacteria and algae. The reexamination uses advanced imaging to reveal preserved cells and organic material.