Twenty years ago, the first-ever issue of Mental Floss hit newsstands. Over those two decades, scores of creatures that were once unknown to mainstream science finally came to light. From purring monkeys to the “wandering leg sausage,” here are 20 amazing animals the wider world has been introduced to in the last two decades.
1. The Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina)
Dogs, cats, seals, and raccoons all belong to the mammal order Carnivora. When biologists first identified the olinguito, an orange-brown raccoon relative, in 2013, it became the first new member of that group to be discovered in the Americas since 1978. Olinguito specimens had actually been lying around museums for decades before someone identified them as a distinct species. Native to the cloud forests of Ecuador and Columbia, the olinguito weighs about two pounds and has an omnivorous diet.
2. Six-Gill Sawsharks (Pliotrema kajae and Pliotrema annae)
Sawsharks are named for their long snouts adorned with a comb-like set of teeth. Researchers collected two new species from the Indian Ocean in 2020: Pliotrema kajae and Pliotrema annae. Unlike most sawsharks, which have five gills per side, both species have six gills on both sides of their bodies.
3. The Bald Parrot (Pionopsitta aurantiocephala)
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