<figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20629/sponge-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20629/sponge-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20629/sponge-s.jpg" title="Carnivorous Sea Sponge" loading="lazy" data-id="20629"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption">Carnivorous Sea Sponge: Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered a meat-eating sponge, Chondrocladia lyra, at 11,000-foot depths off the California coast. Its harplike vanes are covered with hooks that snare small crustaceans. The creature releases sperm packets from the balls atop the vanes; they are caught by nearby sponges for fertilization. (Credit: ©MBARI)©MBARI</figcaption></figure><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20630/frog-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20630/frog-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/20630/frog-s.jpg" title="World's Tiniest Frog" loading="lazy" data-id="20630"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption">World's Tiniest Frog: This housefly-size frog, Paedophryne amauensis, has snatched the record as the world’s smallest vertebrate. One-third of an inch long and weighing 0.02 gram, it is a millimeter shorter than the Southeast Asian fish, the runner-up. Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin announced last January that he discovered the species after following chirping noises in a Papua New Guinea forest. (Courtesy Christopher Austin/Louisiana State University)</figcaption></figure>

Hook-Legged Spider

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The January/February 2013 issue of Discover Magazine

100 Top Stories of 2012

Tiny frogs, carnivorous sponges and clawed spiders, oh my!

Planet Earth

65. Meet the Oddest New Creatures of 2012

Article

News

Amy Barth

Science

Carnivorous Sea Sponge: Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute discovered a meat-eating sponge, Chondrocladia lyra, at 11,000-foot depths off the California coast. Its harplike vanes are covered with hooks that snare small crustaceans. The creature releases sperm packets from the balls atop the vanes; they are caught by nearby sponges for fertilization. (Credit: ©MBARI) ©MBARI World's Tiniest Frog: This housefly-size frog, Paedophryne amauensis, has snatched the record as the world’s smallest vertebrate. One-third of an inch long and weighing 0.02 gram, it is a millimeter shorter than the Southeast Asian fish, the runner-up. Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin announced last January that he discovered the species after following chirping noises in a Papua New Guinea forest. (Courtesy Christopher Austin/Louisiana State University)

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

65. 认识2012年最奇特的生物

新闻简报

艾米·巴思

发表于

2012 年 100 个热门故事

三种新发现的蟾蜍以奇异的进化方式产下活体幼崽

弓头鲸可活到200岁，其DNA可能蕴含长寿的秘密

切尔诺贝利的狗神秘变蓝，但辐射并非罪魁祸首

深海发现食肉死亡球海绵及其他新物种

这些吸血鬼鹿拥有三英寸长的獠牙而非鹿角来抵御对手

吸血蜘蛛痴迷于人类血液，通过扑向蚊子来饱餐一顿

最稀有的海洋动物及其他6种神秘潜伏在深海的难以捉摸的生物

冰岛首次发现蚊子，可能与气候变化有关

这些蝙蝠在紫外光下会发出绿光，但原因仍然是个谜

不再是“料理鼠王”——芝加哥鼠洞实则被一只松鼠压扁

蝠鲼潜入近4000英尺深的海洋——不是为了觅食，而是为了寻找方向

鲸鱼和海豚为何会搁浅，痴呆症是罪魁祸首吗？

狗如何看世界？它们确实能看到颜色，但更关注我们

澳大利亚海岸附近发现新的深海灯笼鲨和一种珍珠白色的螃蟹

泰国发现新的科学怪人蜘蛛，一半雄性一半雌性

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