With humans sending probes to Mars and the sun, one might think we’ve already explored the full extent of our own planet. But scientists say we’ve only begun to find and describe the riches here on Earth,here’s the 20 Most Bizarre Recently Discovered Species.
Hammer-headed Bat
Touting the title of Africa’s largest bat species, of the over 200 known African species, it is the African hammer-headed fruit bat. These big critters aren’t as large as Australia’s flying fox, but they are still pretty impressive. This bat is one of three species of African fruit bat thought to be asymptomatically infected with the Ebola virus. The little-collared fruit bat (Myonycteris torquata) and the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) are the other 2 species. They’re typically found in lowland tropical moist forests, riverine forests, palm forests, swamp forests, & mangroves where they roost in trees.
In some populations of bats, males gather along rivers at night and display by rapid wing flapping accompanied by loud vocalizations. An arena may contain from around 25 – 130 males. Females fly through the arena assessing the males. Once the female’s choice is made, the female lands on the branch and sits beside the male. Once chosen, the male emits a buzzing call and copulation (mating) ensues.
Hammer-headed bats are prone to infection not only by mites but also Hepatocystis carpenteri, a protozoan that affects their liver’s function.
The Barreleye Fish
Barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma), also known as spookfish, are one of those deep-sea species that looks otherworldly. They’ve got transparent heads that reveal their eyes, brains, and other organs, making them a fascination of ocean scientists for generations. Before we had remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and other equipment that could observe deep-sea life, we barely knew anything about barreleyes beyond their unique appearance.
Barreleyes have obvious physical adaptations but their use in helping them survive is still somewhat of a mystery. They get their name from their unusual eyes, which point upward at a 90-degree angle and are large, bright green, and tube-shaped. The eyes are visible through the fish’s “cockpit” or transparent head, which is a fluid-filled area spanning from its mouth to the top of the head. The cockpit gives the fish a submarine-esque appearance while the rest of the fish is brown and pretty ordinary looking. Fully grown barreleyes are barely four inches (10 cm) in length and they have indentations where you might expect eyes to be on a fish, which are used for olfactory sensing.
The green pigment in their eyes may be helpful in filtering out green waves from surface light and help them see bioluminescence in jellies and other creatures of the deep. In 2009, thanks to observations by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), we know that barreleyes can rotate their eyes to face forward to see their prey during foraging activities. Another one of their interesting adaptations to deep-sea living is their pair of large, flat pectoral fins which help the fish remain suspended and motionless in the water column and to move very carefully and precisely.
Giant Phantom Jelly
One of the largest jellyfish in the world, the giant phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea), was captured on film lurking in the depths of Monterey Bay, California, reports Ben Turner for Live Science. In the footage captured by marine biologists piloting a remote submarine, the scarlet jellyfish is seen bobbing along with its bell-shaped head and four long, flowing arms that resemble a kite’s ribbon tails.
Giant phantom jellies truly live up to their name: The creature’s bell can be up to three feet wide, and its arms reach lengths of 33 feet. Although they are quite big, they’re actually rather hard to find. Since it was first discovered by scientists in 1899, the highly elusive creature has only been observed about 100 times in total, per Live Science. Despite completing thousands of dives, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) scientists have documented the species about nine times in the wild.
One reason these deep sea creatures are hard to find is that they lurk 21,900 feet below the surface. This depth of the ocean is called the midnight, or bathypelagic zone, where sunlight does not penetrate, reports Brian Kahn for Gizmodo. Other species of jellyfish, angler fish, cuttlefish, and giant squid are also found in the midnight zone. Water pressure reaches up to 5,800 pounds per square inch at these depths, but jellies can survive these tremendous pressures because their soft gelatinous bodies absorb them.
In the video below, you can see Scientists Are Freaking Out Over This Newly Discovered Species
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