The BBC's Decade of Discovery which aired recently on UK TV listed eight weird and unusual species of animal and plant, all discovered over the last 10 years. Begs the question, how many more undiscovered wonders are waiting out there?
The BBC’s Decade of Discovery which aired recently on UK TV listed eight weird and unusual species of animal and plant, all discovered over the last 10 years. Begs the question, how many more undiscovered wonders are waiting out there?
Three-Toed Pygmy SlothThe three-toed pygmy sloth was first discovered on a tiny island off Panama in 2001. With only 200 of its kind in the world, this sloth is considered the rarest mammal on the planet.
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“Big-red” JellyfishThe discovery of a new species of jellyfish was announced in 2003. The granrojo or "big red" can grow up to three metres in diameter, lives at depths of between 650 and 1500 metres and has fleshy arms not tentacles.
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Pacific Barreleye The bizarre-looking Pacific barreleye was first seen alive in 2004, having previously been identified by dead specimens in fishing nets. The deep water specialist's transparent head contains green, barrel shaped eyes. Read more: Weird deep-sea fish with a transparent head Video
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Grey-Faced Sengi or Elephant Shrew The grey-faced sengi or elephant shrew was first caught on a camera trap in 2008. Distant relatives of their long-nosed namesake, these elephant shrews can grow to the size of a small dog and are found in Tanzania. Read More: Cat sized Shrew discovered
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“walking” SharkThis "walking" shark was observed moving slowly across the ocean floor with its pectoral fins. Found in Indonesia, Hemiscyllium galei only became known to science in 2006.
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World’s longest Stick InsectThe world's longest stick insect was identified in 2008 after it was found in the Malaysian State of Sabah on the island of Borneo. Including its legs, Chan's Megastick measures 56.7cm.
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Nepenthes Palawanensis Pitcher PlantThe Nepenthes palawanensis pitcher plant is large enough to fit a man's fist inside. A carnivorous plant, it was discovered this year in the Phillipines.
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Bent-Toed GeckoThe Langkawi island bent-toed gecko was first found in Malaysia in 2008. Scientists observed evolution in action when some of these normally forest-dwelling geckos (right) became cave geckos (left) to avoid pit vipers.
In the late 80s I started investigating UFOs and crop circles and joined the CCCS (Centre for Crop Circle Studies) and a local group researching strange sightings and reports along the south coast of Dorset (UK). In the early ’90s I started my own research group called SPS (Strange Phenomena Studies), this was renamed in 2004 to Cryptoworld.
