This chocolate-colored frog, known as Hypsiboas sp, lives on trees and uses round discs on its fingers and toes to climb trunks and branches quickly. It is one of 60 species that an international team of field biologists discovered in a previously-unexplored region within southeastern Suriname's mountainous rainforest. Though discovered in 2012, scientists revealed the results [PDF] of their exploration in October 2013.
The Carolina hammerhead looks exactly like its iconic relative, the common scalloped hammerhead -- but the two species have distinctly different genetic makeups. University of South Carolina ichthyologist Joe Quattro discovered the Sphyrna gilberti and named it after the region where he found it.
Nasuceratops titusi, a newly discovered member of the Triceratops family, is thought to have roamed what is now North America some 76 million years ago. Scientists discovered its remains in the badlands of southern Utah. The plant-eater measured about 15 feet in length and weighed in at roughly 2.5 tons. What scientists have yet to unravel is the function of the animal's most prominent feature -- its gigantic nose.
Scientists describe the Olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina) as a cross between a cat and a teddy bear, but it's actually the smallest member of the raccoon family. It's also the first newly discovered carnivorous North American mammal in 35 years. The animal dwells at high elevations in the cloud forests of the northern Andes Mountains in Ecuador and Colombia.
Scientists discovered this new variety of walking shark, the Hemiscyllium halmahera, among the reefs near Halmahera, an island in eastern Indonesia. It uses its fins to pull itself across the ocean floor. Researchers differentiated it from other species based on its distinct speckled-brown color pattern.
These male and female wood lizards are members of Enyalioides azulae, which is one of two new species that a team of biologists discovered in the Peruvian rainforest. The other new species is called Enyalioides binzayedi.
Scientists from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, announced in February that they had discovered a new kind of ant in the Philippines. It is said to have a "pigmentation pattern unknown in any ant worldwide." Scientists named it Cardiocondyla pirata because of the black patch over its eye.
Scientists say Siats meekerorum was the apex predator of its time, roaming Earth at the top of the food chain for millions of years before the Tyrannosaurus rex's existence. A team of researchers discovered a partial skeleton from the dinosaur in Utah in 2008, and announced their findings in November 2013.
Don't let the pincers and stinger fool you, this little wood scorpion isn't all that dangerous to humans. Researchers say its stinger can inflict about as much damage as a mosquito. Measuring at just a few centimeters long, the Euscorpius lycius is named for the historic southwestern region of Turkey where it was discovered.
Even after thousands of years, we're still finding new forms of life on Earth — both past and present.
In 2013, scientists pushed human knowledge of biodiversity to new heights, uncovering a host of new species, from tiny insects to a cuddly-looking carnivore to a dinosaur that sat atop the food chain for millions of years.
See also: 10 Amazing Google Earth and Maps Discoveries
Out of the many discoveries announced within the past year, we picked out nine new species that caught our eye. Scroll through the gallery above to learn about these creatures, which until very recently eluded detection.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: Mark Gurney for Smithsonian via Getty Images