<i>The decade's new species</i>
As 2010 draws to a close, scientists have been looking back over the array of new species that have been discovered since the beginning of the century.
Some of the weirdest and most scientifically wonderful are featured in a BBC Documentary, Decade of Discovery.
The film-makers collaborated with Conservation International to make the documentary, which has whittled down nature's top ten revelations.
Big red jellyfish ( Tiburonia granrojo )
More than 3,000m under the Pacific ocean, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) used cameras on a remotely operated vehicle to capture the hidden life at that depth.
Chan's megastick (Phobaeticus chani)
It was found near Gunung Kinabalu Park, Sabah, in the Heart of Borneo and measures more than half a metre in length - the longest insect on the planet.
Grey-faced sengi (Rhyncocyon udzungwensis)
This sengi or elephant shrew was first discovered in 2006 in Uzungwa National Park, Tanzania. Italian scientist, Francesco Rovero, from the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences caught the tiny mammal on a camera trap.
Bamboo shark ( Hemiscyllium galei )
The bamboo shark, also known as the walking shark, was found in 2006 in Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua, Indonesia.
Giant slipper orchid (Phragmipedium Kovachii)
This large flamboyant purple flower caused something of a sensation when it was discovered. It was found in 2001 being sold at the side of the road in the Peruvian Highlands by an hunter and dealer, who illegally imported it to the US.
Kipunji ( Rungwecebus kipunji )
This is the first new genus (or group of monkey species) to be discovered since the 1920s. It was tracked down in 2003 by Tim Davenport, a biologist from the Wildlife Conservation Society, who was working in the Mount Rungwe region of Tanzania.
Pitcher plant (Nepenthes palawanensis)
This giant plant was discovered just this year by botanist Stewart Macpherson who has made it his mission to find and photograph every species of these carnivorous plants around the world.
Langkawi bent-toed gecko ( Cyrtodactylus macrotuberculatus )
It was first discovered in 2008 on an island off North-western Malaysia by Dr Lee Grismer and his team. It uses its amazing eyesight and grip to catch its forest-dwelling prey at night.
Pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)
This species, discovered on the island on Escudo de Veraguas off the Carribean coast, shows how quickly the process of evolution can happen. The pygmy sloth has been isolated on its tiny island habitat for just 9,000 years - when rising sea levels cut the island off from the mainland.
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