The Data Management Team knew this moment was coming since January 2026, based on the growth numbers of accepted marine species names within WoRMS. We just could not predict when it would happen, except “probably somewhere before the northern hemisphere Summer.”

And now it’s finally here: the WoRMS species counter has exceeded the epic number of 250.000 accepted (extant) marine species! This milestone was reached last Wednesday evening (May 13th), when the DMT had already left the offices, ready for a long holiday-weekend. It’s Monday today, and we’re catching up. There will be cake with the Data Management Team later this week… ?

We didn’t catch the WoRMS counter at exactly 250,000. By the time we noticed, it had already surpassed this magical moment. And by the time you check today, the number will most likely have grown again, due to the very dynamic nature of the system and its editor community. This milestone is an excellent opportunity to update your overall statistics: we’re no longer saying “WoRMS contains over 240.000 marine species” or “WoRMS lists ± 247.000 marine species”, we can now proudly say “WoRMS contains more than 250.000 accepted (extant) marine species”.

While we will be having cake, we’re also virtually raising a glass to our editor community, as they are the ones making this progress possible. They work behind the scenes to ensure WoRMS is as up to date as possible, with the support of the Data Management Team who keep everything running smoothly. Without our editors, there would be no WoRMS. So thank you to all of you, and we’re looking forward to every future marine species name added to WoRMS.