Name: 去年發現的 6 種最酷的新物種 (6 of the Coolest New Species Discovered in the Last Year)
Uploaded: 2024-07-22T13:57:29.000Z
Duration: 5 min 43 s

Around this time every year, we get to tell you about some of the weirdest, coolest creatures discovered in the past 365 days.

每年的這個時候，我們都會向大家介紹過去 365 天裡發現的一些最奇特、最酷的生物。

There are about 18,000 new species discovered every year, and around the end of May, the

每年大約有 18 000 個新物種被發現。

International Institute for Species Exploration puts out a list of the top 10 most intriguing ones.

國際物種探索研究所列出了十大最引人入勝的物種。

This year, we wanted to highlight six of the species on that list, including an amazingly leaf-like katydid, a curiously bloody tomato, and even a swimming centipede.

今年，我們想重點介紹名單上的六個物種，包括一種神奇的葉狀螽斯、一種奇特的血番茄，甚至還有一種會游泳的蜈蚣。

那麼，讓我們深入瞭解一下吧。

First up, does this spider remind you of anything?

首先，這隻蜘蛛會讓你想起什麼嗎？

It looks an awful lot like the sorting hat that put Harry Potter in Gryffindor, which is why the discoverers gave it the species name Gryffindori.

它看起來非常像把哈利-波特送進格蘭芬多的那頂分院帽，是以發現者給它起了個物種名稱 "格蘭芬多裡"。

Although you might have some trouble trying on this real-life sorting hat, given that it's less than a centimeter long.

不過，由於這頂真實的分揀帽不到一釐米長，你在試戴時可能會遇到一些麻煩。

While this spider is not magic, its unique shape helps protect it from predators, allowing it to blend in as just another dead leaf in the mountainous forests of southern India.

雖然這種蜘蛛並不神奇，但它獨特的外形有助於保護自己免受掠食者的傷害，使它能夠像另一片枯葉一樣融入印度南部的山林中。

It's so new to science that we've only found one of this species.

它對科學來說是如此之新，以至於我們只發現了一個這個物種。

Entomologists haven't even tracked down a male yet.

昆蟲學家甚至還沒有找到雄蟲。

Another fellow top tenner with impressive camouflage is this Malaysian katydid.

另一種具有令人印象深刻的偽裝的十佳同類是這種馬來西亞蟈蟈。

Katydids, aka bush crickets, are known for their stunning feats of mimicry, but the females of this species take the cake, or at least the pink icing.

蟈蟈，又名叢林蟋蟀，以其令人驚歎的模仿能力而聞名，但這一物種的雌性蟈蟈更勝一籌，至少是粉紅色的糖衣。

Not only does the middle section of its body almost look identical to a leaf down to the green veins, but its back legs sport flat projections that also look like two other smaller leaves.

它不僅身體中段的綠色葉脈看起來與樹葉幾乎一模一樣，而且後腿上的扁平突起看起來也像另外兩片較小的樹葉。

When it's sitting on top of the red flush common to many rainforest plants, this new species of katydid easily looks like an extension of the foliage.

當它坐在許多熱帶雨林植物常見的紅暈上時，這種新種類的螽斯很容易就能看成是葉子的延伸。

Weirdly, though, the bug was spotted precisely because it was lounging on a branch with green leaves, so researchers aren't quite sure what to make of this pink creature.

但奇怪的是，發現這隻蟲子的原因恰恰是它正躺在長著綠葉的樹枝上，是以研究人員還不太確定該如何看待這種粉紅色的生物。

They're thinking that maybe they just caught the katydid in a lucky-off moment, or the coloring could even be a warning signal.

他們在想，也許他們只是幸運地抓住了這隻蟈蟈，或者這種顏色甚至可能是一個警告信號。

Like this horrific fruit would be to anyone with the courage to take a bite.

就像這種可怕的水果一樣，任何人只要有勇氣就會咬一口。

Actually, at first, the fruit's flesh would be a mild-looking pale green.

其實，一開始，果肉是淡綠色的，看起來很溫和。

But within two minutes, air oxidizes it to a terrifying blood red in a fast-tracked version of the process that turns apple slices brown.

但在兩分鐘內，空氣就會把它氧化成可怕的血紅色，這就是蘋果片變成棕色的快速過程。

Wait a few more minutes, and the fruit will look totally charred.

再等幾分鐘，水果就會完全烤焦。

This so-called bush tomato grows… where else?

這種所謂的灌木番茄......還能在哪裡生長？

In the northern and western parts of Australia.

Botanists have actually known about this tomato for half a century, but it wasn't until this year that scientists realized it should be its own species.

植物學家其實半個世紀前就知道這種西紅柿了，但直到今年，科學家們才意識到它應該是一個獨立的物種。

And if you're wondering what it tastes like, similar fruits are known to be very salty.

如果你想知道它是什麼味道，眾所周知，類似的水果都非常鹹。

Although no one seems to have tried this one yet.

雖然似乎還沒有人嘗試過這個方法。

Another surprise for scientists this year was the Sulawesi root rat, which is the first rat of its type that doesn't feast entirely on meat.

今年科學家們的另一個驚喜是蘇拉威西根鼠，它是第一種不完全以肉為食的同類鼠。

It's small, and slender, and actually kinda cute.

它又小又纖細，其實還挺可愛的。

It lives on a single large island in Indonesia, where all its closest relatives just eat insects.

它生活在印度尼西亞的一個大島上，那裡的所有近親都只吃昆蟲。

This adorable rodent, though, adds more to its diet.

不過，這種可愛的齧齒動物的食物中還添加了更多的營養。

Based on the rat's genetic and physical similarity to its fellow rodents, mammologists suspect that it might have evolved to its current omnivorous state from a carnivorous ancestor — a never-before-seen development with these rats.

根據大鼠與同類齧齒動物在基因和體型上的相似性，哺乳動物學家懷疑，大鼠可能是從肉食性祖先進化到現在的雜食性狀態--這是這些大鼠從未見過的進化過程。

Up next, a massive freshwater stingray that calls just one place on the planet home, the

接下來要介紹的是一種體型巨大的淡水黃貂魚，它只在地球上的一個地方安家，那就是

This fish is the 25th member of a genus of so-called black stingrays, which are mostly dark brown or black on their backs, with ornate yellow-to-orange spots and patterns.

這種魚是所謂的黑黃貂魚屬的第 25 個成員，它們的背部大多呈深褐色或黑色，並有黃橙相間的華麗斑點和花紋。

The stingray can grow to be over a meter wide, and tips the scales at 20 kilograms, so scientists gave it the species name Rex, which means king in Latin.

黃貂魚可以長到一米多寬，體重達 20 公斤，是以科學家給它取了一個物種名稱 "Rex"，在拉丁語中是 "國王 "的意思。

This new king stingray is one of more than 100 species that are only found in the Tocantins

這種新的黃貂魚王是僅在託坎廷斯發現的 100 多個物種之一

One reason why so many unique creatures live there is that the river system is full of waterfalls and rapids, which can isolate animals and promote the creation of new species.

之所以有這麼多獨特的生物生活在這裡，一個原因是這裡的河流系統充滿了瀑布和急流，可以隔離動物，促進新物種的產生。

The last of the top ten organisms we wanted to highlight is this lovely Southeast Asian centipede, which, strangely enough, was named for a waterfall.

我們要重點介紹的十大生物中的最後一種是這種可愛的東南亞蜈蚣，奇怪的是，它的名字是由瀑布命名的。

An entomologist on his honeymoon in Thailand first stumbled upon it when he lifted up a rock looking for cool bugs, like entomologists do on their honeymoons.

一位昆蟲學家在泰國度蜜月時，像昆蟲學家度蜜月一樣，掀開一塊石頭尋找酷蟲，第一次偶然發現了它。

Much to his surprise, the centipede then proceeded to dive into a nearby stream, swimming a bit like an eel.

令他驚訝的是，蜈蚣隨後跳進了附近的一條小溪裡，遊得有點像鰻魚。

It's the only centipede we know of that's happy, wet, or dry.

據我們所知，這是唯一一種無論乾溼都能快樂生活的蜈蚣。

Researchers suspect this centipede lives mostly on land, but hunts aquatic insects at night.

研究人員懷疑這種蜈蚣主要生活在陸地上，但在夜間捕食水生昆蟲。

And it's just as nightmarish as other centipedes — it's both venomous and carnivorous.

它和其他蜈蚣一樣可怕，既有毒又食肉。

But even though you might not want to encounter this centipede, or wear it as a hat, it is at risk because of humans.

不過，儘管你可能不想遇到這種蜈蚣，也不想把它當帽子戴，但它卻因為人類而面臨危險。

Its preferred habitats next to rivers and waterfalls are popular tourist spots, meaning this terrifying, creepy crawly might not be around for long.

它喜歡棲息在河流和瀑布旁邊，這些地方都是熱門的旅遊景點，這意味著這種可怕的爬行動物可能不會存在太久。

And while it's fun to go through this list every year, that's the bigger message here.

雖然每年翻閱這份名單很有趣，但這才是更重要的資訊。

For each of the strange and amazing creatures we discover every year, there are many more that we lose forever because of habitat destruction and climate change.

對於我們每年發現的每一種奇特而令人驚歎的生物來說，由於棲息地的破壞和氣候變化，我們將永遠失去更多的生物。

In fact, the Institute estimates that over the next 300 years, we will lose 70% of all existing species.

事實上，據研究所估計，在未來 300 年內，我們將失去 70% 的現有物種。

So let us celebrate our newest members of scientifically described species, and try to protect the ones we don't even know we have yet.

是以，讓我們慶祝科學上描述的物種的最新成員，並努力保護我們還不知道的物種。

I'm curious which one of these species you think is the coolest.

我很好奇，你認為其中哪個物種最酷。

You can let me know in the comments below.

您可以在下面的評論中告訴我。

And for more of this week's science news, check out our video on SciShow Space about how the Juno space probe's first findings are already totally changing the way we think about Jupiter.

想了解本週的更多科學新聞，請觀看我們在 SciShow Space 上播出的視頻，瞭解 "朱諾 "號太空探測器的首批發現如何徹底改變了我們對木星的看法。