More than 2,000 new sea species discovered, VLIZ keeps track of everything

Because Vliz is the founder and host of the world register for marine species. It is striking that marine research is so advanced here that really new species are rarely discovered.

The Vliz scientists keep a close eye on everything. The finder, the date and the species, everything is in Worms, a register that makes the Vliz a world authority. Bart De Smet (VLIZ): “Not only the name, but also the information, the distribution area, all this is kept here by Vliz in a kind of world register of marine species.”

This year in the top 10 of beautiful finds even a new whale species. More than 300 scientists help to keep the Vliz Worms list accurate. 2,000 species are added every year. Ordinary beach walkers are also increasingly contributing to the discovery of new species. But often is relative. “Our Belgian part of the North Sea is only a handkerchief the size. It has also been heavily researched. So the chance of finding new species here that have not yet been discovered elsewhere is quite small. It happens, but it is rare.”

In 2006 a new species of bryozoans was discovered and five years ago the American beach shell appeared on our beaches for the first time. Recently, a bone of a kind of primordial version of a Northern penguin was also found.