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The presence of the Asian small-clawed otter has been confirmed in Nepal for the first time in over 185 years.

Mongabay News reported that scientists and conservationists have been celebrating the sightings. The Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is the world's smallest otter. Its existence in Nepal hadn't been confirmed since 1839.

Many feared it was extinct in the area. Sightings were reported in Makalu Barun National Park over the years, but none were confirmed. In November, forestry department officials in Dadeldhura district discovered a juvenile otter. It was in a "fragile and injured state." Officials fed and cared for it, not realizing the importance of finding this critter.

The ocean is Earth’s last great mystery, a vast, uncharted world teeming with lifeforms we have yet to encounter. And now, scientists have uncovered a new deep-sea predator lurking in the shadows of the hadal zone—an extreme, inhospitable environment nearly 8 kilometers beneath the ocean’s surface. This recently identified creature, Dulcibella camanchaca, is not just a new species; it belongs to an entirely new genus, revealing an evolutionary branch previously unknown to science.