The natural world contains about 8.7 million species, according to a new estimate described by scientists as the most accurate ever. But the vast majority have not been identified - and cataloguing them all could take more than 1,000 years.
The approach of the scientists accurately predicted the number of species in several well-studied groups such as mammals, fishes and birds. And the number came out as 8.7 million - plus or minus about a million. If this is correct, then only 14% of the world's species have yet been identified - and only 9% of those in the oceans.
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