taxonomy

Record-Setting Tarantulas Boast Longest Sex Organs to Avoid Getting Eaten by Females

In the world of spiders, when it comes to male sex organs, size really does matter.

Researchers Discover New Species of Enigmatic ‘Fairy Lantern’ Plants

The unusual plant is critically endangered, and hiking activities are threatening its habitat.

Yikes! World’s Deadliest Spider Is Actually 3 Different Species

Obviously from Australia, the largest of the three funnel-web spiders is nicknamed "Big Boy."

Researchers Take Another Look at Platypus DNA, and Yup, Still Weird

Waddling, wriggling, ambling, digging, laying eggs. There’s no shortage of verbiage when it comes to describing monotremata—the taxonomic order made up of only two animals, the platypus and the echidna. Rattling off the numerous weird traits of these creatures is trope in news coverage—and it’s near impossible to avoid, since they are mammals that lay…

How an 18th Century Explorer Can Help Us Understand the Algorithms Taking Over Our World

We are in the midst of a Cambrian explosion of algorithms. Roughly 540 million years ago, the fossil record tells us that the planet experienced a dramatic diversification of animal life, producing the ancestors of most of the complex organisms that we’re familiar with today. The acceleration of innovation in algorithms and artificial intelligence similarly…

One of the Most Puzzling Dinosaurs Ever Discovered Just Got a Major Rebrand

Paleontologists uncovered a strange new dinosaur a few years ago—a crazy, patchwork quilt of a creature dubbed Chilesaurus diegosuarezi. Its bizarre and often conflicting characteristics defied classification, forcing scientists to make an educated guess about its place on the dino family tree. New research suggests the initial attempt to classify Chilesaurus was wrong, and that…

Newly Named Titanosaur Was the Largest Land Animal Our Planet Has Ever Seen

Four years after six specimens were discovered in Argentina, scientists have finally given a name to what is now considered the largest animal to ever have walked the Earth. Say hello to Patagotitan mayorum—a Cretaceous-era dinosaur that weighed an astonishing 152,000 pounds. Before we get into the details of the new study, published today in…

Your Most Distant Animal Relative Is Probably This Tiny Jelly

For years, a debate has raged among scientists as to which ancient creature represents the first true animal, sponges or jellies. Using a new genetic technique, a collaborative team of researchers has concluded that ctenophores—also known as comb jellies—were the first animals to appear on Earth. It’s an important step forward in this longstanding debate, but…

This New Mexican Cave Spider is Ridiculous

Say hello to Califorctenus cacachilensis, a new species of spider found in a remote mountain region of Baja California Sur. This elusive, softball-sized arachnid prefers the dark and cozy confines of caves, which seems entirely appropriate given its gruesome appearance. Also, we are never going into caves ever again. Spiders are an incredibly diverse and…

Moth With Scaly Head and Weird Dick Named in Honor of Donald Trump

After becoming President, Barack Obama had a number of species named in his honor. Donald Trump, however, has managed to do him one better, finding an animal namesake days before his inauguration in Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, a tiny moth species distinguished by its yellow, scale-covered forehead and “unique genitalia.” According to taxonomist Vazrick Nazari, who first…

Half the World’s Natural History Specimens Might Have the Wrong Name

The next time you visit a natural history museum, don’t believe everything you see. At least that’s according to Oxford University researchers, whose new study suggests that half of the specimens held in their collections may have the wrong name. Often, when a sample arrives at a natural museum—or its exclusively botanical brethren known as…

A Taxonomy of Hip Coffee Shop Names

As you walk down the sidewalk, you see a chalkboard in the distance. As you step a little closer, you smell the deep musk of coffee emanating from an artfully distressed front door. Out steps a man with a beard, a Mac slung under his arm, sipping from small re-useable flat white-sized cup. You’ve stumbled…

Brontosaurus Should Be Reinstated As A Distinct Dinosaur, Say Scientists

It’s the most famous dinosaur that never was — or at least that’s what paleontologists have believed for 112 years. After an exhaustive comparative analysis of over 500 physical characteristics, researchers have concluded that Brontosaurus is sufficiently distinct from Apatosaurus to warrant its own genus. Bronto, it appears, is back. Top illustration: Charles P. Knight…

This Catfish Was Just Named After A Star Wars Character

Can you guess which one? I bet you can guess which one. Photo via Auburn University Jonathan Armbruster, biological sciences professor and curator of fishes for the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, named the previously unknown species of catfish Peckoltia greedoi, after, well, you know who. UNCANNY, THE RESEMBLANCE. H/t Meredith

These Scientific Names Were Chosen Purely To Insult Certain People

What is the best way to make sure your insult lasts a really, really long time? Well, if you’re a scientist who has the pleasure of naming a newly described genus or species, you might be able to get away with inserting your insult into biological nomenclature. After the rise of modern taxonomy, a few…

Holy Crap What Is This Writhing Deep Sea Creature?

Just what exactly is this strange deep sea creature? Before releasing it back into the sea, Facebook user Jr Saim uploaded this video. Can you tell what it is? Turns out its a really big Basket star, a member of a group of echinoderms called Brittle stars. Don’t be confused though. Brittle stars, which are…

Bizarre Sea Creatures Force Scientists To Create New Category Of Life

Marine biologists have identified two new species of sea-dwelling, mushroom-shaped creatures that don’t belong to any known taxonomic classification. Say hello to a completely new genus: Dendrogramma. Back in 1986, the authors of the new study pulled two distinct organisms from depths of 400 and 1,000 meters along the south-east Australian continental slope. The mushroom-like…

Harry Potter Fans Name Brain-Paralyzing Wasp After Dementors, Natch

The Museum of Natural History in Berlin recently allowed its patrons to name one of its henceforth unnamed wasp species. The name the public chose was Ampulex dementor, either out out of Harry Potter fandom or because the wasp really is the Dementor of the animal world. Seriously! Here’s how Nature World News describes the…

No, Australia’s Dingos Are Not Wild Dogs

For over two centuries, Australians have referred to the dingo as their continent’s native dog. But as a new study shows, it’s not really a dog at all, but rather a species in its own right. The confusion started in the 18th century with a simple drawing and description made by Australia’s first governor, Arthur…

A Virginia Tech biologist has proposed a revolutionary new way of classifying all living organisms. The new system would automatically classify and name organisms according to genetic similarities. The goal is to create a universal language that biologists can use to communicate about all life on Earth with unprecedented detail.