WWF Unveils 1,060 New Animal Species

Hundreds of reptiles, fish, mammals, invertebrates, and more from the island of New Guinea have been discovered in the past decade.

The World Wildlife Fund has unveiled more than 1,000 new species – including a frog with fangs, a new species of dolphin, and a river shark – that were discovered by scientists on the island of New Guinea. Researchers tracked and named the species between 1998 and 2008, helping to establish the island as one of the most ecologically diverse on the planet. Other animals discovered include an anteater named after BBC naturalist David Attenborough, a frog named after Sauron from Lord of the Rings due to its red and black eyes, and a blind, venomless, 12-cm-long snake that probably ranks as the world's least-threatening. The shark and dolphin discoveries are of particular note, though, as the round-headed dolphin was the first species of the aquatic mammal discovered in more than 30 years, and the 2.5-metre (meaning “big”) shark lives in freshwater.