Meet 14 of the New and Unusual Species of 2025 — From Death Ball Sponges to Pumpkin Toads

Image collage (clockwise left to right): Mouse opossum, Marmosa chachapoya courtesy of Pedro Peloso. Man-o-war, Physalia Mikazuki courtesy of © Tohoku University / Cheryl Lewis Ames et al. Pumpkin toadlet, Brachycephalus lulai courtesy of Luiz Fernando Ribeiro, CC-BY 4.0 (no modifications). West Australian Lanternshark, Etmopterus westraliensis courtesy of CSIRO Cindy Bessey. Bent-toed gecko, Cyrtodactylus himachalensis courtesy of Bhardwaj, Purkayastha, Lalremsanga and Mirza, 2025. Giant stick insect, Acrophylla alta courtesy of Ross M. Coupland. Porcelain crab, Porcellanella brevidentata courtesy of CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection. Article by Jenny Lehmann. Discover Magazine – December 23, 2025.

Even after centuries of scientific exploration, Earth is still full of surprises. Millions of species have been described so far, but thousands more continue to emerge each year, helped along by new tools like DNA sequencing that allow researchers to spot differences that once went unnoticed. Each find adds another piece to the puzzle of how ecosystems work and why conservation starts with understanding what’s actually there. This year’s discoveries take us across the globe, from the deep sea to cloud forests and high mountain ranges. […]

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