The international iNat Together campaign, held from 18 to 28 September, gathered more than 132,000 observations of plants, animals and fungi. Initial results from iNaturalist list over 19,800 species.
Organisers held more than 280 events in over 40 countries and territories, including bird walks, moth nights and group surveys of waterways. More than 4,900 observers took part, while over 6,500 people helped identify the organisms recorded.
Events ranged from the University of Panama’s Veraguas campus to an urban garden in Cairo and the lagoons of Livingstone, Zambia. In Livingstone, participants logged nearly 150 observations of about 70 species in a few hours, despite hot, dry conditions.
Among the finds highlighted by organisers was the hydromedusa Gossea corynetes, photographed by Fraser Higgins in Scotland’s Oban Bay on 18 September. At the time of the roundup, the platform held just three observations of the species, all by the same person. That makes it scarce in the database, not necessarily rare in the wild.
The totals remain provisional, as participants can still upload records made during the campaign. Around 61% of observations still need identification. The overall record count should therefore not be equated with observations that have already passed community review and reached Research Grade.
