A couple of years ago, marine biologists bought some giant “seabugs” from fishers in Vietnam. The creatures had been pulled from the mud at the bottom of the South China Sea. They were up to a foot long, weighed a couple of pounds, and had armor plating. The creature had never been cataloged before—it was a new species. Its face resembled the mask of Darth Vader, so the scientists named the seabug after him.

Bathynomus vaderi is one of thousands of marine species discovered in recent years. The list includes fish, corals, crabs, worms, jellies, and others. Unlike the giant seabug, most have been gathered during scientific expeditions.

In early 2024, for example, researchers announced the discovery of more than a hundred new species off the west coast of South America. The scientists had sampled life along an underwater mountain chain, at depths of up to three miles. Each mountain had its own ecosystem, including deep-sea coral reefs and sponge gardens.

Another group found more than five thousand new species across a wide span of the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and Mexico. It’s a prime site for possible mining operations, which biologists say could destroy entire species.

Some new species have been found in closets; in 2023, researchers classified some fish that had been captured and preserved 30 years earlier.

An international group hopes to catalog tens of thousands of new species over the coming decade—no matter where they find them.

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