Orangutans are the only great apes in Asia. In 2001, the orangutans of Sumatra and Borneo were recognized as two distinct species. Now, researchers have found a third: the Tapanuli orangutan, which lives in the southern range of Sumatran orangutans, in Batang Toru. They are, in fact, the most imperiled great apes in the world. Only an estimated 800 individuals exist in a fragmented habitat.

Towering up to 40 meters (130 feet) high and weighing an estimated 56,000 kilos (62 tons), this majestic tree, named Dinizia jueirana-facao, was found in the Atlantic forest in northern Espirito Santo, Brazil. Large in dimensions, the tree is limited in numbers – only 25 of the trees exist, making it a critically endangered species.

This tiny beetle is called Nymphister kronaueri and lives among ants in Costa Rica. The beetle is only 1.5 millimeters long (0.05 inches) and its body is the precise size, shape and color of the abdomen of a worker ant. When the nomadic ants move to a new location, the beetle travels along, using its mouthparts to grab onto the abdomen of its host, letting the ant do all the walking.

The dark abyss of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific contains the deepest spot in the world's oceans. And that's where the pseudoliparis swirei was found, a small, tadpole-like fish that belongs to the snailfish family and measures 12 centimeters (4 inches) in length. It's the deepest-dwelling fish ever recorded, captured at depths of between 6,800 and 7,900 meters (22,000 and 26,000 feet).

Most plants capture solar energy to feed themselves via photosynthesis. A few, like the newly discovered S. sugimotoi, get their sustenance from other organisms. In this case, the plant is symbiotic with a fungus, which it derives nutrition from without harming it. Its delicate pink blossoms only appear during a short flowering peroid, on Japan's Ishigaki Island.

This invertebrate, about 5 centimeters (2 inches) in length, was spotted in the glacial waters of the Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica. It's an amphipod called Epimeria quasimodo, in reference to its somewhat humped back. It has incredible spines and vivid colors and its crested adornments are reminiscent of mythological dragons.

When a submarine volcano erupted off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, it wiped out much of the existing marine ecosystem. But scientists have found the first colonizers of this deposited area: Thiolava veneris, a new species of proteobacteria producing long, hair-like structures composed of bacterial cells within a sheath and forming a massive white mat.

Scientists recovered fossils in Queensland, Australia to a previously unknown lion-like marsupial that roamed Australia's open forest in the late Oligocene age, which ended about 23 million years ago. It was about the size of a Siberian husky dog and spent part of its time in trees. Its teeth suggest it was not completely reliant on meat but was, rather, an omnivore.

This single-celled protist was discovered on a brain coral in an aquarium in San Diego, California, USA. The geographic origin of the species in the wild is not known. It's called ancoracysta twistan and is a predatory flagellate that uses its whip-like flagella to propel itself, and unusual harpoon-like organelles to immobilize other protists on which it feeds.

A new species of troglobitic beetle adapted to life in the permanent darkness of caves was discovered in a cave in Du'an, Guangxi Province, China. Called Xuedytes bellus, the beetle only grows to about 9 millimeters (half an inch) in length and is striking in the dramatic elongation of its head and the body segment immediately behind the head.

Covering an area of almost 1.3 million square kilometers (800,000 square miles), this is among the world's largest marine protected areas. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it is home to all manner of marine life including green turtles, pearl oysters, giant clams, reef sharks, coconut crabs, dolphins and whales.

Surrounding this British Overseas Territory lies the largest contiguous marine protected area in the world. The 834,334 square kilometers of pristine ocean habitat are monitored via satellite to track potential illegal fishing activity in this vast and remote corner of the South Pacific.

Situated off the northeastern coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world. A vast area of that reef, which is so big it can be seen from space, forms the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The reef saw devastating coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017. In an effort to protect the delicate ecosystem, fishing is strictly regulated and commercial ships can only use certain routes.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to many animals found nowhere else in the world, the Galapagos Marine Reserve in the Pacific Ocean is administered by Ecuador and is the largest marine park in a developing country.

The Bowie Seamount is an underwater volcano located 180 kilometers off the west coast of Canada. Although the volcano rises about 3,000 meters from the ocean bed, its highest point is 24 meters below sea level. While it may be invisible to those of us living above water, the submerged mountain is home to a rich mix of marine fauna and flora.

The United Kingdom declared this vast stretch of Indian Ocean a marine protected area in 2010. The legality of the move has been contested by Mauritius, which lays claim to the group of islands. In the 1970s, the UK evicted the entire native population from the archipelago and granted the United States permission to use it as a military base.

Extending from the German-Danish maritime border down to the Elbe estuary, and with an area of 4,410 square kilometers, this is doubtless Germany’s largest national park. Due to the intertidal nature of the Wadden Sea, some 30 percent of it is only periodically under water.

Covering a large area between the French Riviera, Sardinia and the Italian region of Tuscany, this sanctuary was established specifically to protect marine mammals. It is currently the world's only conservation area in international waters.

In October 2016, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed to create a marine protected area off the coast of Antarctica. However, the 1.6 million square kilometers of pristine wilderness will only be protected for 35 years. What happens after remains to be seen.

The government of Gabon announced in June 2017 creation of a 53,000-square-kilometer network of marine protected areas - the largest in Africa. It would apply to a quarter of Gabon's seas, which are incredibly rich in life, including sea turtles, whales, dolphins, corals, even crocodiles. The region is known for rampant overfishing - the reserves are accompanied by a sustainable fishing plan.

In July 2017, the Cook Islands - a small island nation about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii - approved designation of the world's new largest marine sanctuaries off its shores. The 1.9-million-square-kilometer preserve includes a core no-fishing zone, otherwise limits on mineral extraction and commercial fishing. It's hoped to help preserve the archipelago's lagoons and reefs.

Let's start with the good news. According to the latest Red List update, the number of mountain gorillas has significantly increased. The IUCN has said the number of animals has risen from about 680 a decade ago to more than 1,000 now. Intensive conservation action such as removal of snares has contributed to the rebound of the mountain gorilla, which inhabits the Congo region's jungles.

Fin whales are now considered vulnerable rather than the more worrisome label of endangered. Their number has roughly doubled since the 1970s, to around 100,000 individuals, according to the IUCN. The situation of gray whales has also been upgraded — from critically endangered to endangered. Bans on commercial whaling have made a real impact on conservation.

Yet the IUCN also issued warnings about the consequences of overfishing. For example, 13 percent of grouper species worldwide and 9 percent of the approximately 450 fish species in Lake Malawi in eastern Africa are threatened with extinction. "Depleting fish stocks are a serious concern for food security, particularly for coastal communities in developing countries," the IUCN said.

In a previous Red List update, the Mauritian flying fox — an important pollinator — moved from vulnerable to endangered. The bat population fell by a whopping 50 percent from 2015 to 2016 due largely to government-implemented culling sparked by alleged damage to fruit crops. The megabat species also faces threats from deforestation, illegal hunting and an increase in cyclone activity.

Invasive species are threatening a number of unique Australian reptiles. This grassland earless dragon has shifted from vulnerable to endangered. It often falls prey to feral cats, as well as changes to the intensity and frequency of bushfires. Like most native Australian wildlife, the reptile is adapted to environmental conditions that existed before European settlement.

Taking its name from "The Lord of the Rings" character Smeagol — aka Gollum — the precious stream toad is also on the list of species threatened with extinction. It is listed as vulnerable, largely as a result of expanding tourist resorts and complexes in its Genting Highlands habitat in Malaysia.

The population of keas, New Zealand's Bird of the Year 2017, is declining rapidly, mostly due to tourists who keep feeding the curious parrots junk food. As a result, the birds get used to trying novel food and end up eating poison bait meant to control pests such as rats, stoats, or possums, which destroy up to 60 percent of the birds' nests each year. You can see the connection, can't you?

Black-legged kittiwakes rely on certain key prey, like sand eels. But a lack of eels to eat means breeding colonies in the North Atlantic and Pacific are struggling to feed their chicks. Globally, the species is thought to have declined by around 40 percent since the 1970s. The main cause is overfishing and alterations in the ocean due to climate change.

The snowy owl is vulnerable, with recent population estimates much lower than previously thought. Climate change has hit the iconic Arctic bird hard, as it has increased snowmelt and reduced the availability of rodent prey. A quarter of bird species reassessed in the Red List, including the snowy owl, have become more endangered.

Five species of African antelopes — of which four were previously assessed as least concern — have been declining drastically as a result of poaching, habitat degradation and competition with domestic livestock. One of these is the gray rhebok, for which the Reebok sports brand is named.

The world's largest antelope, the giant eland — previously assessed as least concern — is also vulnerable. Its estimated global population is between 12,000 and 14,000 at most, with fewer than 10,000 mature animals. This species is declining due to poaching for bushmeat, human encroachment into protected areas and expansion of agriculture and livestock grazing.