{"id":30442,"date":"2012-05-24T04:58:27","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T08:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=30442"},"modified":"2012-05-24T04:58:27","modified_gmt":"2012-05-24T08:58:27","slug":"top-10-newly-discovered-species-of-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/top-10-newly-discovered-species-of-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Newly Discovered Species of 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
\n\"20120524-020115.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Every year, the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of international scientists compile a list of their picks for the top 10 newly described species.\u00a0The annual top 10 new species list has just been released for 2011.<\/p>\n

This year’s list includes: a new type of box jelly, a worm living nearly a mile underground, a mushroom that looks like a sea sponge, a blue tarantula, a new poppy, a giant millipede, a sneezing monkey, an orchid that blooms at night, a wasp that lays its eggs inside ants, and an extinct creature that looked like a walking cactus.<\/p>\n

“The top 10 is intended to bring attention to the biodiversity crisis and the unsung species explorers and museums who continue a 250-year tradition of discovering and describing the millions of kinds of plants, animals and microbes with whom we share this planet,” said Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist who directs the International Institute for Species Exploration at ASU.<\/p>\n

The selection committee looks for “species that capture our attention because they are unusual or because they have traits that are bizarre,” said Mary Liz Jameson, an associate professor at Wichita State University who chaired the international selection committee. “Some of the new species have interesting names; some highlight what little we really know about our planet,” she said.<\/p>\n

Here they are:<\/p>\n

Sneezing Monkey:<\/strong> Rhinopithecus stryker<\/em> was discovered in the high mountains of Myanmar. It’s the first snub-nosed monkey to be found in Myanmar, and is believed to be critically endangered. It’s covered in nearly all black fur except for a white beard. And it sneezes when it rains. Here’s a video of some sneezing monkeys:<\/p>\n