Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Species of Carnivore
Source: Smithsonian Institution
Observed in the wild, tucked away in museum collections, and even exhibited in zoos around the world―there is one mysterious creature that has been a victim of mistaken identity for more than 100 years. A team of Smithsonian scientists, however, uncovered overlooked museum specimens of this remarkable animal, which took them on a journey from museum cabinets in Chicago to cloud forests in South America to genetics labs in Washington, D.C. The result: the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina)―the first carnivore species to be discovered in the American continents in 35 years. The teams discovery is published in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal ZooKeys.
The olinguito (oh-lin-GHEE-toe) looks like a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear. It is actually the latest scientifically documented member of the family Procyonidae, which it shares with raccoons, coatis, kinkajous and olingos. The 2-pound olinguito, with its large eyes and woolly orange-brown fur, is native to the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador, as its scientific name, neblina (Spanish for fog), hints. In addition to being the latest described member of its family, another distinction the olinguito holds is that it is the newest species in the order Carnivora―an incredibly rare discovery in the 21st century.
Read more: http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-scientists-discover-new-species-carnivore
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bhikkhu
(10,712 posts)I wonder how they arrive at "carnivore" from that?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23701151
Hekate
(90,561 posts)Interesting find -- there's still so much we don't know about our own planet.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)more appropriately identified by skull and tooth structure than their diet.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Omnivore.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)nolabear
(41,936 posts)Somebody had to do it.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Chellee
(2,091 posts)Teabagger eyes are beadier.