Re: On average, how many new species of animals are found every year?

Elizabeth,

Sadly enough there seems to be more information on the number of animals that disappear each year than there is on the number that are discovered! The growing population of humans and our destruction of animals' habitats is causing many species to become endangered or even extinct. A search of the web provided an answer to your question, though.

First, let's talk about what your question refers to. Animals are members of the kingdom Animalia and can range in size from microscopic to gigantic, insect to worm to whale. For more information on specific characteristics and members of this kingdom, check out the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web

We don't know how many species inhabit the earth. While researchers estimate there are 10 million total species, this is a rough and uncertain guess. You can imagine that estimating the total number is difficult because every part of the world has different habitats with unusual species. Often these habitats are hard to study because they are isolated- like the bottom of the ocean! In any case, there are only about 1.5 million species that have been classified and named.

Robert May, in a 1988 article, offers his estimate on the average number of certain kinds of animal species discovered each year. On average, 3 new bird species and one genus (another type of classification) of mammals is found each year. He estimates that 10 new insect species would be discovered each year if they were found at similar rates. Now that you know this information, consider that Biodiversity Counts reports that approximately 3 species are lost per hour due to extinction. Even though this is an estimate, it is worth thinking about.