'Bizarre' new mammal discovered

Praxius

Praxius

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7213571.stm

A new species of mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania, scientists report.


The bizarre-looking creature, dubbed Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, is a type of giant elephant shrew, or sengi.

The cat-sized animal, which is reported in the Journal of Zoology, looks like a cross between a miniature antelope and a small anteater.

It has a grey face, a long, flexible snout, a bulky, amber body, a jet-black rump and it stands on spindly legs.
"This is one of the most exciting discoveries of my career," said Galen Rathbun, from the California Academy of Sciences, who helped to confirm the animal was new to science along with an international team of colleagues.

Despite its name, the creature, along with the 15 other known species of elephant shrew, is not actually related to shrews.


Dr Rathbun told the BBC News website: "Elephant shrews are only found in Africa. They were originally described as shrews because they superficially resembled shrews in Europe and in America."

In fact, the creature is more closely related to a group of African mammals, which includes elephants, sea cows, aardvarks and hyraxes, having shared a common ancestor with them about 100 million years ago.

"This is why they are also known as sengis," explained Dr Rathbun.

The new species was first caught on film in 2005 in Ndundulu Forest in Tanzania's Udzungwa Mountains by a camera trap set by Francesco Rovero, from the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences in Italy.
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Ah... I knew I seen this thing not too long ago.

Dr Rathbun said: "I got these images, and said to myself: 'Boy, these look strange'. But you can't describe something new based just on photographs, so in March 2006, we went back in and collected some specimens."

Flashy creatures

He told the BBC that it quickly became apparent that the creatures were new to science. He said: "Elephant shrews are almost all distinguished by distinctive colour patterns, and this is especially true of the forest-dwelling giant sengis.

"They are all quite flashy - one species has a bright golden rump, another checkers along the rump - so when you have a colour pattern that just isn't similar to what is out there, you know it is fairly obvious that you have got something new.


"And this one, with its grey face and black rump, was pretty different."

As well as its distinctive colouring, the new species is also larger than other species of giant elephant shrew, weighing 700g (25oz) and measuring about 30cm (12in) in length.

It uses its long, flexible nose and tongue to flick up insects, such as termites, and it is most active in daylight.

Dr Rathbun added: "They are behaviourally fairly simple - they are not like a dog or cat you can interact with - but they are so bizarre-looking and a lot of their behavioural ecology is so unique and interesting, you kind of get wrapped up with them."

The scientists say there is still much to learn about the Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, but they hope further research will help to answer questions about how many of the animals exist, their range and how closely the animals live together.

Tanzania's Udzungwa Mountains are biodiverse-rich. In addition to this new species, a number of other new animals have been found there, including the Udzungwa partridge, the Phillips' Congo shrew, and a new genus of monkey known as Kipunji as well as several reptiles and amphibians.
Dr Rathbun said it was vital the area and its inhabitants in this biodiversity "hotspot" were protected.
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karrie

karrie

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Now, I have to ask (because I love playing devil's advocate)... if we're so intent on preventing natural selection from ending existing species, shouldn't we be as intent on making sure our meddling with nature doesn't create new ones?
 
Praxius

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karrie said:
Now, I have to ask (because I love playing devil's advocate)... if we're so intent on preventing natural selection from ending existing species, shouldn't we be as intent on making sure our meddling with nature doesn't create new ones?
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Agreed, which is why I don't hold much to the whole Global Warming trend or the "We have to preserve our natural habitat/species" attitudes.

The Sabre Tooth Tiger and the DoDo all died for a reason. Climates change, new species are created, the old species either adapt to the new climates and animals, or die from those climates and animals.... it's the cycle of life... err evolution perhaps.

I feel it's a cycle which never stops for a period of eons, but is continually moving. We still haven't discovered all the species on our planet yet, and by the way things are going, we never will.... because more will keep arriving and evolving, as well as others dieing.

And then you get to the point where people point the fingers at ourselves for the responsibility of some extinctions or near extinctions.... but we are a part of nature as well and whatever we do is natural to ourselves and how we evolved on this planet. We can not pull ourselves out of the cycle and attempt to keep things the way we are used to, nor can we just use that as an excuse to excess and kill, feed, breed and destroy everything in our path.....

Life is a balance and if we don't learn how to survive ourselves, along with the planet and creatures, then we do risk killing off a good chunk of living creatures on this planet, as well as ourselves.

But.... even if that occurs, and even if we kill ourselves off, we'll only be a speck on the chart of history, as another dino period. Life will go on with or without us in one way or another.
 
karrie

karrie

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I'm eagerly awaiting the day someone tries some new meat and declares "Oh my goodness, it tastes just like human!"
 
Nuggler

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
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If any of the following are still alive, get in touch with them and askem how we taste

http://www.nndb.com/crime/690/000044558/

Who was the guy (politico) who got in doo doo for saying he wouldn't go or didn't want to go to Africa, as he could visualize himself in a big pot surrounded by cannibals? Forget his name but it was funny at the time. Think he was a conservative.........really........not joking.....:lol:

Anyway, back to the thread............ya..........cute.............hope they don't go stinked.....whatever.......:roll: Number one on my priority list anyway, for sure.




:grommit:
 
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hermanntrude

hermanntrude

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with reference to the "humans shouldn't be worried about evolution resulting in the loss of biodiversity" issue, i feel there is a reason for it. Admittedly, as you said, the dodo and the sabre toothed tiger DID die for a reason.

More worrying, though, is that giant ecosystems are being destroyed in very short spaces of time. Much less about survival of the fittest, much more about dewstruction of the everything, including the fittest. Even worse, we dont even know what we're killing sometimes, we just smash down the trees and burn the shrubs.
 
Nuggler

Nuggler

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Feb 27, 2006
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Knew that humans were a direct cause of dodo extinction:

Easy to catch, good to eat.

Num Num Yer Gone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo

:pirate:........Arrrgh! capture that dodo, rip off it's head and bring it ta me..........Dodo head stew tanight me hearties............AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!
Make fast the mainstays
Jibe the jib
Reef the mainsail.
All that there nautical shyte!
Arrrgh!
 
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