Narcondam Island Shrew

Mammals > Shrews

Formally described in 2021 by the Zoological Survey of India, the Narcondam Island Shrew (Crocidura narcondamica) is a tiny, highly specialized insectivorous mammal endemic entirely to the remote volcanic island of Narcondam in the Andaman Sea. It is the first new...

Tolkien’s Stream Treefrog

Amphibians > Frogs

Formally described in 2023, Tolkien’s Stream Treefrog (Hyloscirtus tolkieni) is a large, otherworldly treefrog discovered in the remote, mist-shrouded cloud forests of Ecuador’s eastern Andes. Named in honor of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien due to its...

Nimba Mountain Orange Bat

Mammals > Bats

Discovered during ecological surveys in 2018 and formally described in 2021, the Nimba Mountain Orange Bat (Myotis nimbaensis) is a stunning, vividly colored vespertilionid bat restricted to the summit crest of Guinea’s Nimba Mountain range. Its dazzling...

Subterranean Pitcher Plant

Plants > Carnivorous Plants

Described in 2022, Nepenthes pudica is a revolutionary botanical discovery: the first pitcher plant known to produce specialized pitfall traps exclusively underground. Found in the remote highlands of Indonesian Borneo, it burrows pitchers deep into subterranean...

Mount Gaoligong Flying Squirrel

Mammals > Rodents

The Mount Gaoligong Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis) is an exceptionally rare, giant flying squirrel discovered in 2019 along the rugged Gaoligong mountain range of Yunnan, China. Forming only the third known species within the enigmatic genus...