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Crazy jungle rodent is 11 million years old Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com March 9, 2006 The newly discovered species of rodent found in a marketplace in Central Laos turns out to not be so new after all. Called Kha-Nyou by local people, the species (Laonastes aenigmamus was first described by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researcher Dr. Robert Timmins after it was found on a table at a hunter's market in central Laos. The organization continues to work in Laos to address the illegal wildlife trade, which has devastated animal populations. After its initial discovery, scientists classified the animal in its own taxonomic family, but the creature's new identity—Diatomydae—is reported in tomorrow's edition of the journal Science.
George Schaller, a naturalist with WCS and also a well-known author says that the focus on the rodent will be "wonderful for conservation. This way, Laos will be proud of that region for all these new animals, which will help conservation in that some of the forests, I hope, will be preserved." Related articles In search of Bigfoot, scientists may uncover unknown biodiversity in Malaysia Malaysian scientists are scouring the rainforests of Johor state in search of the legendary ape-man Bigfoot, supposedly sighted late last year. But they are more likely to encounter some less fantastic but unique creatures that dwell in these still unexplored ecosystems. Mysterious carnivore found in Borneo rain forest Scientists may have discovered a new species of fox-like mammal in the rainforests of Borneo. The animal was caught on film by an automatic infra-red camera positioned in the forest of the Kayam Menterong National Park in the Indonesian section of the island during a survey by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Scientists say the animal is has a reddish-colored coat, a bushy tail, and slightly extended back legs, suggesting that it may be partly arboreal. Local hunters failed to recognize the creature from the pictures." Bizarre rodent discovered in Southeast Asia; Oddity new to science A team of scientists working in Southeast Asia have discovered a strange long-whiskered rodent with stubby legs and a tail covered in dense hair. But don't call it a squirrel. Or a rat. Because it's actually more like a guinea pig or chinchilla. But not quite. In fact the new species, found in Laos by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups, is so unique it represents an entire new family of wildlife. News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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