New Species Since 2000 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Swire's snailfish

This fish, named in honor of one of the officers of the HMS Challenger mission that discovered the Mariana Trench in 1875, was caught at depths of 22,000 and 26,000 feet (6,898 and 7,966 metres) in traps that were baited with mackerel. It is a small, tadpole-shaped fish that is about four inches long.

When it was discovered, it was the deepest-dwelling fish ever discovered to date with verified depth.

Answer: Shocking pink

The shocking pink dragon millipede is found in Thailand. Its legs seem rather spiny, and it has a habit of sitting in the open on rocks and vegetation during the day. This has led scientists to speculate that its bright colour, coupled with its spiny appearance, are defence mechanisms, there to lead potential predators to believe that it is not edible.

Answer: Sorting hat spider

The sorting hat spider was found in India. It is small (two millimeters, or less than a tenth of an inch), and its body is shaped like a cone, with a slight bend at the tip, very much like the hat in the "Harry Potter" series that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor and was used to sort new students into their respective houses.

The scientists that named this little creature gave it this name to remind everyone of the magical world of insects.

Answer: Giant sundew

There are over 200 species in the carnivorous sundew plant genus. The giant sundew is located in Brazil. It was discovered through Facebook photos, but is also a record setter because it was the largest sundew discovered to date at that point. All sundews secrete a thick mucus that traps unsuspecting insects that are then digested to compensate for the inadequate nutrition available in the soils where they grow.

The giant sundew is considered to be critically endangered because it only exists at the top of one mountain 1,550 metres (5,000 feet) above sea level.

Answer: Kaweesak's dragon tree

It is hard to believe that this 40-foot tall tree went unnoticed for so long. It made the IISE list in 2014 after it was discovered growing on limestone in Thailand. The limestone is harvested for making concrete, so the tree was placed on the endangered list as soon as it was identified as a unique species.

It is a beautiful tree, with slender leaves and cream-coloured flowers. It would be a shame if the Kaweesak's dragon tree ended up leaving the earth soon after being identified (another reason to be concerned with habitat loss for all species whether they are newly identified or not).

Answer: Spongebob Squarepants mushroom

At first, the scientists who found this mushroom were told that they couldn't use the name "Spongebob Squarepants mushroom", but they persisted and were eventually allowed to use the name. The mushroom is unusual because when squeezed and released, it bounces back to its original form, similar to an actual sponge.

Other similarities with its namesake include the fact that the mushroom smells fruity, while Spongebob lives in a pineapple, and the magnified texture of the mushroom looks like the sea sponges that cover the ocean floor where Spongebob Squarepants lives.

Answer: In the ocean

Halomonas titanicae is an iron-oxide consuming bacteria that was discovered on rust from the RMS Titanic. Scientists have discovered that it sticks to steel surfaces and creates mounds of corrosion that contribute, along with other microorganisms, to the deterioration process of metal on the Titanic.

This will eventually lead to the Titanic's disappearance, as well as the disappearance of other sunken ships that are made of steel.

Answer: The longest insect found to date

This insect is is native to Malaysia. It ended up on the 2009 IISE list of the top ten new species found that year because it was the longest insect found to date. The phobaeticus chani is a very delicate-looking, thin insect, reminiscent of a praying mantis. Unlike a praying mantis, it has a body length of 35.6 centimetres (14 inches) and a overall length of 56.7 centimetres (22.3 inches) with its antennae. That is a pretty long insect!

Answer: Because of the unique undersea nests they create

The male torquigener albomaculosus creates a really unique nest that looks like underwater crop circles. They are circles with divots and mounds that are about six feet in diameter. The nests are designed to attract females and are used only once. The circles had been noticed by divers in Japan for over twenty years, but nobody knew what had created them.

When the fish was found and photographed creating them, it solved a puzzle and resulted in a new species being identified (not to mention busting an ocean crop circle myth).

Answer: It was the first new species of monkey identified in Africa in almost 30 years.

The lesula is an Old World monkey that seems to have been known to locals for some time, but was newly identified by science in 2013. It was found in the Lomami Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was only the second species of monkey discovered in Africa in the past 28 years at that point.

The lesula is a shy monkey with human like eyes. When found, it was hunted for bush meat, so was placed in the vulnerable list immediately.