Happy World Animal Day! Today is all about celebrating the incredible species roaming our planet and promoting action for animal rights and welfare.
To mark this special day, we have collected some of our favourite animals published across Pensoft’s journal portfolio.
1. The ‘cute but deadly’ velvet worm
Look at those adorable little legs!
Oroperipatus tiputini is a velvet worm that researchers published as a new species in Zoosystematics and Evolution. These invertebrates are known as “living fossils” because they evolved over 500 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs.
Despite its friendly appearance, the Tiputini velvet worm is an accomplished hunter that shoots a sticky substance from a pair of glands near its face to trap its prey!
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117952
2. The ancient nautilus
Some creatures look like they belong to an era long ago.
But this one has only just been discovered! Found near American Samoa at a depth of 300 m, Nautilus samoaensis was one of three new nautilius species published in ZooKeys in 2023.
Sadly, these enigmatic molluscs with beautiful shells are facing population decline, and even extinction, due to the activity of unregulated fisheries.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1143.84427
3. The moth called Trump
Any ideas why Neopalpa donaldtrumpi was given its name?
Found in California, Arizona, and some areas of Mexico, this species was named days before Donald J. Trump became the the 45th President of the United States of America.
Researcher Dr Vazrick Nazari hoped that the fame around the blonde-haired moth would raise awareness for the importance of further conservation efforts for the species’ fragile habitat.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.646.11411
4. The stiff-necked stargazer
We think this fish may have taken the advice “keep your chin up” a bit too literally.
The longnosed stargazer (Ichthyscopus lebeck) looks like this for good reason – it buries itself in sand, with just its eyes visible, and leaps upwards to ambush prey.
The first Southern Hemisphere record of this species was published in our journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria in 2024.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/aiep.54.113513
5. The electric-blue tarantula
I’m blue da ba dee da ba d-AHHHHH!
Blue is a rare colour in nature, which is a shame because this tarantula from Thailand looks spectacular. The stylish spider sports iridescent streaks of neon colour on its legs, back, and mouthparts.
Chilobrachys natanicharum was already known in the pet trade as the electric blue tarantula, but a study published ZooKeys finally confirmed it as a unique species.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1180.106278
6. The chocolate frog
Anything from the trolley, dears?
While it may look like a Wizarding World snack, this burrowing frog species inhabits the soft soil of Amazon peatlands.
Long known by Peru’s Three Corners Native Community, Synapturanus danta was published as a new species in Evolutionary Systematics in 2022.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.6.80281
7. The tailless whip scorpion
Sorry about this one.
Phrynus whitei is an amblypygid – an order of arachnids also known as whip spiders or tailless whip scorpions. Despite its unsettling appearance, it is generally calm around humans and is non-venomous.
This creepy critter featured in Neotropical Biology and Conservation in an overview of the poorly-know amblypygid fauna of Honduras.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e113507
8. The adorable olinguito
Hopefully this makes up for the last entry.
Looking like a cross between a teddy bear and a house cat, the olinigto was the first carnivorous mammal discovered in the Americas for 35 years!
Bassaricyon neblina belongs to a group of mammals called the olingos, which are related to raccoons and coatis.
Learn more: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827
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While we have enjoyed collecting a few of our favourite species featured in Pensoft journals, it is important to remember the value of every animal, regardless of cuteness or weirdness.
By supporting research and action that aims to protect our planet’s species, we can continue to enjoy our planet’s bizarre biodiversity that never fails to surprise and delight. Happy World Animal Day!