|
In the forests of Myanmar is the monkey that sneezes every time itrains. In the mountains of Brazil is the blue, iridescent tarantula. And on the island of Borneo is the mushroom that acts like asponge, named after SpongeBob SquarePants, the cartoon character. ASU compiles Top 10 new species list These are among the roughly 18,000 new species that scientistsdiscovered last year, and they were unique and bizarre enough to beplaced on a top 10 new-species list by a team of internationalscientists. The annual list, compiled by the International Institute forSpecies Exploration at Arizona State University and releasedWednesday, is designed to draw attention to the Earth's diversespecies. Nearly 2 million species have been named by scientists in the past250 or so years. Scientists say possibly as many as 10 million moreawait discovery. "Every species is so unique, and they each tell you somethingwonderful about the world you didn't think to ask," said ASUprofessor and institute Director Quentin Wheeler, who came up withthe idea for the top-10 list, now in its fifth year. Among the new species, the sneezing monkey, in particular, is a"strange little guy," he said. The snub-nosed species wasdiscovered living in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in SoutheastAsia. "Apparently, when it rains, the droplets of rain get in the noseand prompt him to sneeze," Wheeler said. "The local people who liveclose to the forest were the ones who pointed out to thescientists, 'If you want to find them, wait until it rains,' " hesaid. Also making this year's cut: a wormlike fossil discovered in Chinanicknamed the "walking cactus" and the "Devil's worm," a tinycreature found nearly a mile inside a South African gold mine. The latter is a particular favorite of Wheeler's because it "has aface only a mother could love," he said. Spongiforma squarepantsii, another top new species, is named afterthe main character in the animated TV series. Discovered on theisland of Borneo in Malaysia, the mushroom looks and acts like asponge, reverting back to shape after being squeezed. Like the scientists who discovered and named the mushroom, Wheelerhimself is known for naming new discoveries after famous people. An expert on insects, he has discovered more than 100 species ofbeetles. One of them is named after former President George W.Bush, Agathidium bushi, and another after comedian Stephen Colbert,Agaporomorphus colberti. Wheeler also has named beetles after hiswife, Marie, Agathidium marae, and his ex-wife, Kimberly,Agathidium kimberlae. "It's a real honor" to name a species after a person, he said."Five hundred years from now, people will have to deal with thesenames." The top-10 list grows in popularity each year, with media inquiriescoming in from around the world. The list is released every year on May 23 to coincide with thebirthday of Carolus Linnaeus, the botanist who is considered the"father of taxonomy" because he came up with a scientific way toname plants and animals. Reach the reporter at 602-444-8072 oranne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com. I am an expert from GU10LED-LAMP.com, while we provides the quality product, such as MR16 LED Lamp Manufacturer , G9 LED Lamp, MR16 LED Lamp,and more.
Related Articles -
MR16 LED Lamp Manufacturer, G9 LED Lamp,
|
