How many species are there?

There are approximately 4,500 species of mammals, 5,500 of amphibians, 8,000 reptiles, 10,000 birds and 30,000 marine species currently recognised by science, and that doesn’t include the untold numbers of invertebrates, bacteria and smaller beings (it is believed that there are 15000-20000 species of butterfly).

On average, 2 new species of fish are found every week, and it is thought that the jungles of the world contain many more amphibians and reptiles than have yet been named. Even now we still get a few new bird species discovered every year, and, amazingly, new species of mammal are still found occasionally.

New discoveries
Recent finds include a new Genus of monkey in Tanzania, a new parrot and forest mouse on a small Philippine island, a 'hairy' lobster (This was a whole new family, not species), a new snake in Vietnam, 5 new frogs and a new newt in Laos, a new stingray in Thailand, a new monkey in India, an unusual spitting spider in Madagascar that lives in family groups, and new sharks off Mexico and Indonesia. Borneo is a hotspot for new discoveries; from 1994-2004 361 new species were found there: 260 insects, 50 plants, 30 fish, 7 frogs, 6 lizards, 5 crabs, 2 snakes and a toad.