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Ever wonder how many different species actually live on our planet? You might be surprised to learn that scientists are still figuring that out. And the best part? We’re discovering them faster than ever.
A new study from the University of Arizona just dropped some pretty wild numbers. Between 2015 and 2020, researchers found an average of more than 16,000 new species every single year. We’re talking over 10,000 animals (mostly insects and creepy crawlies), about 2,500 plants, and roughly 2,000 fungi. The crazy thing is, this isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
John Wiens led the research team at the University of Arizona. He looked at records of about 2 million species to see what’s really going on. His take? “We’re finding new species at a faster rate than ever before.”
Here’s where it gets interesting. Right now, scientists know about 2.5 million species total. But the real number could be way higher. Like, tens or hundreds of millions higher. Take insects, for example. We’ve identified around 1.1 million species so far. But many experts think there could be 6 million out there. Some even say 20 million.
There’s good news in all this. New species are being discovered way faster than species are going extinct. The study found only about 10 species go extinct per year, while we’re finding thousands of new ones.
So why should you care? Well, we can’t protect a species if we don’t even know it exists. That’s conservation 101. But there’s more to it. Some of these discoveries lead to real breakthroughs. Remember those popular weight loss drugs? They were inspired by hormones found in Gila monsters. Scientists are also looking at spider venom, plant compounds, and even gecko feet for new medicines and materials.
The bottom line? We’re living in what you could call a golden age of species discovery. And 15% of everything we know about has been found in just the last 20 years.
