A tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal, a single-celled protist that acts like a sponge, and a sea anemone that lives under an Antarctic glacier are among the species identified as the top 10 species discovered last year by the SUNY-ESF International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE).

An international committee selected the top 10 from among the approximately 18,000 new species named during the previous year.

Top 10 Species of 2014

Olinguito (Ecuador)

The tree-dwelling olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), looks like a cross between a slinky cat and a teddy bear, and lives in the cloud forests of the Andes mountains in Colombia and Ecuador. It was the first new mammal discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.

Kaweesak’s Dragon Tree (Thailand)

Kaweesak’s Dragon Tree (Dracaena kaweesakii) stands 12 metres tall and has remained hidden in plain site in the limestone mountains of the Loei and Lop Buri Provinces in Thailand. It has sword-shaped leaves with white edges and cream-coloured flowers with white filaments.

ANDRILL Anemone (Antarctica)

The ANDRILL Anemone (Edwardsiella andrillae) is a species of sea anemone that can withstand especially harsh conditions and is found under a glacier on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The creatures of around 2cm long with pale yellow bodies and around 24 tentacles.

Skeleton Shrimp (USA)

The Skeleton shrimp (Liropus minusculus) is a tiny translucent shrimp that measures up to 3.3mm and is the smallest in the genus Caprellidae.

Orange Penicillium (Tunisia)

Orange Penicillium (Penicillium vanoranjei) is a bright orange fungus that producer a sheet-like extra-cellular matrix that may offer protection from drought.

Leaf-tailed Gecko (Australia

The Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuarius eximius) that is native to both rainforests and rocky habitats of the Melville Range in eastern Australia. It has a has a particularly large tail and a mottled colouration that offers it some camouflage.

Amoeboid Protist (Mediterranean Sea)

The Amoeboid Protist (Spiculosiphon oceana) is a giant single-celled organism that measures up to 5cm high. It gather silica spicules from its surroundings and uses them to build its shell, making it look much like a carnivorous sponge.

Clean Room Microbes (USA and French Guiana)

Clean room microbes (Tersicoccus phoenicis) are found in rooms where spacecraft are assembled, and could potentially contaminate other planets and heavenly bodies. Some of the microbes are extremely resilient and can tolerate extreme dryness; wide ranges of pH, temperature and salt concentration; and exposure to UV light or hydrogen peroxide.

Tinkerbell Fairyfly (Costa Rica)

The Tinkerbell Fairyfly (Tinkerbella nana) is a species of tiny fringed winged parasitoid wasp family Mymaridae, named after the character form Peter Pan. It is believed to have a lifespan of only a few days and attacks the eggs of other insects.

Domed Land Snail (Croatia)

The Doomed Land Snail (Zospeum tholussum) lives in complete darkness around 900m form the surface in the Lukina Jama-Trojama caves in western Croatia. The tiny 2mm-long snail lacks eyes and shell pigmentation because of its dark environment, and the only moves a few centimetres per week, travelling longer distances in water currents or attached to other cave animals such as bats.