Menu Close

Articles on Taxonomy

Displaying 1 - 20 of 66 articles

Erkki Alvenmod/Shutterstock

What makes a good bird name?

North American ornithologists are seeking to replace all bird species named after people - but what should they be called instead?
Crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) from the Simpson Desert, Queensland. Bobby Tamayo / Wikimedia Commons

We discovered three new species of marsupial. Unfortunately, they’re already extinct

We found three previously unknown species of mulgaras hiding in museum collections – but all three have been driven to extinction since European colonisation of Australia.
Te mokomoko a Tohu – Aotearoa New Zealand’s newest species of gecko. Nick Harker/All rights reserved

Meet te mokomoko a Tohu: a new species of New Zealand gecko hidden in plain sight

A new gecko species in New Zealand was named te mokomoko a Tohu in consultation with a local Māori tribe. This could be a good example for how taxonomists might approach the naming of new species.
Wayne Lawler / Australian Wildlife Conservancy / AAP

Australia has hundreds of mammal species. We want to find them all – before they’re gone

A new list of 404 Australian mammal species is a crucial conservation step in the face of the ongoing extinction crisis.
There are even more types of viruses in the ocean than researchers once thought. newannyart/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Researchers identified over 5,500 new viruses in the ocean, including a missing link in viral evolution

Viruses do more than just cause disease – they also influence ecosystems and the processes that shape the planet. Tracing their evolution could help researchers better understand how viruses work.

Top contributors

More