Every year, scientists describe thousands of new species.animals and plants, and the International Institute for Species Exploration publishes a ranking of the "most-most" plants and living creatures discovered in the past year.
Rare Species of Plants and AnimalsTop 10 of this yearThe suicide palm Tahina spectabilis from the Arecaceae family leads the ranking. This Madagascar plant is so large that it can be seen even on Google Earth satellite maps. But the palm attracted attention not because of its size, but because it blooms until exhaustion, until it dies after producing seeds. The closest relatives of the described species were found in Afghanistan, Thailand, Vietnam and southern China. And its seeds have already gained incredible popularity among . Tahina spectabilis has become a very expensive ornamental plant. Ninth place in the ranking is occupied by another plant. The coffee tree, or Charrier coffee (Coffea charrieriana) from the madder family, growing in Cameroon, is the only known African type of coffee whose fruits do not contain caffeine.
The list also included the longest stick insect (itslength including legs reaches 56 cm); the smallest seahorse (its length is 13.8 mm, and its height is 11.5 mm); the shortest snake (its length is only 10.4 cm); a ghost snail found in Wales; the most "coiled" mollusk; the oldest viviparous and bluest coral fish, as well as extremophile bacteria found in hairspray.Source: species.asu.edu
- By the way: Houseplants for the lazy
