Twelve species that made headlines in 2014
Digital Reporter
Friday, December 12, 2014, 5:31 PM - We're digging through our archives to bring you the best of 2014. Today, we're looking at twelve species that caught your attention this year.
12. Curious Case of the Bathtub Python
We know python is a genus and not a species, but the exact species involved in this story remains unclear.
And this story is so ... strange ... we had to include it in our list.
In November, a woman in Thailand was admitted to hospital after a python came out of her toilet and attacked her, according to the news agency Khaosod.
Rampeung Onlamai, 57, was reportedly getting out of her shower when the python crawled out of her toilet and attempted to drag her down the drain.
She was able to ward off the attack with a broom stick, but not before being bitten.
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She then called out to her daughter, who rushed into the bathroom and pried the snake off her hand.
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It then crawled back into the toilet and down the drain.
Onlamai was taken to the hospital where she received 20 stitches.
11. Dendropsophus ozzyi (It Barks at the Moon)
In November Brazilian researchers announced they've discovered a new species of bat-eating frog which they've named after iconic musician Ozzy Osbourne.
The frog lives in trees and makes a high-pitched call similar to a bat's. It was found in the Brazilian Amazon by a team of researchers.
The team, led by Pedro Peloso, first found the frog in 2009 during a survey of a protected area of the rainforest.
RELATED: Swamp creature had lips like Jagger
The sound the frog makes “led to us talking about being fans of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath,” Peloso told reporters.
10. Snowy owls Lives Up To Its Name
Snowy owls started making headlines in Ontario in December when Ottawa residents began reporting record numbers of snowy owls, due to an "irruption" that's seeing more birds fly farther south of their usual range in the boreal forest.
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According to Weather Network Digital Community Specialist Jayne Hoogenberk, an irruption is an irregular migration of birds to a region where they aren't usually found. In North America, for example, winter irruptions bring snowy owls to southern Canada about once every four years.
9. Porcini mushroom (Nutty!)
This list focuses on animal species, but we had to include a UK discovery announced in September.
Researchers were surprised to discover three new mushroom species tucked inside a commercial packet of dried Chinese porcini mushrooms purchased at a London, UK grocery store.
Scientists used a technique referred to as DNA barcoding to make the discovery.
RELATED: Prehistoric swamp creature had 'lips like Jagger'
It's unclear where the mushrooms were purchased but according to the CBC they were found somewhere in "southwest greater London."
Mycologist Bryn Dentinger told the news agency that his team discovered three new, previously unnamed species in the 15 samples that were tested.
Scientists say the term "porcini" isn't a scientific label but rather, refers to the nutty flavour of the mushroom.
8. Dreadnoughtus schrani
Dinosaurs are known for being large, so when a scientist called the Dreadnoughtus schrani "astoundingly huge," back in September, your interest was piqued.
The absurdly large dinosaur, excavated in Patagonia in southern Argentina, earns its name. The specimen is 26 m long, weighs 59 metric tonnes, and lead researcher Kenneth Lacovara says it's 70 per cent complete, making it unique among dinosaurs of similar size.
7. Jaggermeryx naida
In September, a swamp-dwelling creature that lived 19 million years ago in modern-day Egypt was named after Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger because of the 'large, sensitive lips' it had.
It was discovered in a remote area of the Egyptian dessert that was once covered by marsh and swamps. Jaw fragments found at the site suggest the creature was the size of a deer and looked like a cross between a pig and a hippo.
While a colleague suggested naming the fossil after actress Angelina Jolie - who is also known for her lips - naming the creature after Jagger was a "no brainer" for Ellen Miller, an associate professor of anthropology at Wake Forest University and lead author in the paper announcing the discovery.
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