There have been hundreds of scientific expeditions to the Amazon for the past three years. And every time the boffins go out there, they come back with hundreds of new species. In the past three years, they have discovered 258 plants, 22 reptiles, 58 amphibians, 84 fish, 18 birds and one mammal. They’ve also found countless insects and invertebrates, but those creepy crawlies will have to be saved for another post (maybe).

Today, we’re introducing you to some of the cute and amazing newly discovered Amazonian species.

The purring monkeys

When a kitten purrs, it means the kitty is deeply relaxed and happy. The baby Caquetá titi monkey (Callicebus caquetensis) does the exact same thing. It “purrs” when it is really happy. Discovered in the part of the Amazon rain forest in Colombia in 2010, the monkeys were found to purr when the researchers began playing with the babies (in a scientifically responsible way, we’re sure). They live in small groups, and they mostly eat the fruit and leaves they find in their territory.

Caqueta Titi

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The warpaint lizard

This gecko might seem like one to rush into battle: it’s called the warpaint lizard, for crying out loud. In fact, it is incredibly timid, hence the timidus in its scientific name – Gonatodes timidus. It was first described in 2011, and it was found somewhere in Guyana. Its skittish nature means it hides well from humans, however, so little is actually known about the ironically coloured gecko, apart from the fact that it has a brightly coloured face and neck.

Warpaint lizard

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The thimble-sized frog

Discovered in 2013, the thimble frog is so tiny, it can fit on your thumbnail, just like – well – a thimble. It’s also so tiny, it’s having a hard time surviving the fact that its native Guyanese homeland is likely to be opened up to deforestation driven by tourism. In fact, it’s Latin name, Allobates amissibilis, means “that may be lost”. That name is surprising, too, because it is a poison dart frog, so it isn’t defenceless in its natural habitat. Still, rampant human activity can lead to the loss of this animal before we really get a chance to know it.

Allobated amissibilis

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The vegetarian piranha

If two words ever truly were the perfect oxymoron, “vegetarian piranha” would surely be those two words. But in actual fact, scientists found this vegetarian piranha (Tometes camunani) in 2013, in the rocky rapids of Brazil. The fish only eat the seedlings of a water-based herb called Podostemaceae, so they only live in the rapids where those seedlings grow. They can grow to weigh up to 4kg and be 500mm long. Despite their size, they are quite sensitive to the human activity on the Amazon River, including building dams that restrict the flow of water.

Vegetarian piranha

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The fish that exists only in one small pond in Peru

If you really want to talk about habitat hyperspecificity (the scientific term for plants or animals that live in really specific locations), look no further than the fish species Apistogramma cinilabra. These little lovelies live in one small pond in Peru, and that’s it. The thing is, this pond has extremely low levels of oxygen in, making it uninhabitable for all but the most hardy fish. And hardy these guys are. They seem to love the lack of oxygen. Besides that, and the unique grey lips that the males display when mating or fighting, there is little we actually know about these fish. Still, we know where to find them if we want to study them more.

Low oxygen fish

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These animals are cute, and they are amazing. There are hundreds more newly discovered Amazonian species to learn about and perhaps thousands or even millions more yet to be discovered in the Amazon. With the diligence and keen eyes of our Amazonian explorer-scientists, we’ll be discovering hundreds more a year for many years to come.

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