Bizarre new mammal discovered

[Talysia]

I always love it when scientists discover a previously unknown species/subspecies, and this one is certainly a fascinating creature.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Bizarre' new mammal discovered

 

[Giovanna Clairval]

Oh, not bad for a Earth sea cow or a miniature elephant!

A new mammal, not a new bug! This is not common.

 

[The Ace]

Well, you learn something new every day. It's great to see a new mammal species.

 

[nixie]

I want one It is rather unusual though to discover a new mammal

 

[Overread]

Nice to see a new discovery which is not an insect
interesting creature -- I wonder though, some areas - like the congo and areas of the amazon - are still very understudied -- who knows what wonders hide within?

 

[Talysia]

And whilst we're talking about new discoveries, I just found this on the BBC website...

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | 'New type of bird' found in Nepal

It may not be as important a discovery as a new mammal, but I still love new finds like this. Nature continues to suprise me.

 

[RVM45]

.....It is reassuring that they haven't discovered everything yet.

.....RVM45

 

[Briareus Delta]

Interesting stuff. Almost restores my faith in the continuation of life on the planet!

 

[Talysia]

I know what you mean, RVM and BD - every time I find a story like this, I feel the same way for a bit.

 

[Allegra]

Very interesting looking mammal indeed! I wonder how many left out there... Thanks for posting the good news, Tal, it does cheer one up!.

 

[Talysia]

No problem, Allegra. It's nice to see good news for a change.

 

[Nik]

Giant Elephant Shrew...

Um, looks a bit like some of the over-bred Siamese cats I've seen at shows...

I wonder if a Giant Elephant Shrew could be litter-trained ?? It would make a change from hamsters, whether Golden or Siberian...

 

[Rosemary]

This is indeed good news Talysia, thank you. The mammal I hope isn't on the brink of extinction. It's snout looks similar to that of a Numbat, a lovely animal here in Western Australia.

As to the bird, only 500 left Hopefully it will now be a protected species.

 

[Pyan]

.....It is reassuring that they haven't discovered everything yet.

.....RVM45

Oh, there's a good way to go yet....

To date, taxonomists have identified less than two million distinct species, mostly mammals and birds. But it's estimated that the number of undiscovered species—primarily fish, fungi, insects, and microbes—ranges from ten million to more than one hundred million. Even at the low estimate, it's an enormous number.

Team Races to Catalog Every Species on Earth - National Geographic

 

[Talysia]

Thanks for the link, Py - I hadn't heard about that one.