Hiding in plain sight: Discovery of cryptic species could double the number of vertebrates

There may be twice as many vertebrates on the planet as previously estimated, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. This is not due to errors or miscalculations, but because thousands of species have been hiding in plain sight. These are so-called cryptic species which appear identical to us but which are in reality very different genetically.