Scientists discover a new species of...

[hamilton]

... rat, unfortunately. Well, kind of like a rat, anyway. Sort of. Maybe it's not so unfortunate, after all.

From the Toronto Star :

Rodent species unlike any other

Laotian rock rat sold as food in market

May be last mammal family to be found

JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

NEW YORK TIMES

They live in the forests and limestone outcrops of Laos.

With long whiskers, stubby legs and a long, furry tail, they are rodents but unlike any seen before by wildlife scientists.

They are definitely not rats or squirrels, and are only vaguely like a guinea pig or a chinchilla. And they often show up in Laotian outdoor markets being sold as food.

It was in such markets that visiting scientists came upon the animals, and after long study, determined that they represented a rare find: an entire new family of wildlife.

The discovery was announced yesterday by the Wildlife Conservation Society and described in a report in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.

The new species is called kha-nyou (pronounced ga-nyou) by local people. Researchers have named the animal Laonastes aenigmamus, but recommend it be called a Laotian rock rat.

Scientists found that differences in the skull and bone structure and in the animal's DNA revealed it to be a member of a distinct family that diverged from others of the rodent order millions of years ago.

"To find something so distinct in this day and age is just extraordinary," said Dr. Robert Timmins of the Wildlife Conservation Society, one of the discoverers.

"For all we know, this could be the last remaining mammal family left to be discovered," he added.

The last time a new family of mammals was identified was likely in the 1970s, when a family of bats was found in Thailand.

Interesting - goes to show how much we still don't know about the planet. I remember reading a bit about how a dozen or so new species of deep-sea creatures were discovered after the tsunami hit, as well.

It would have been nice if they had run a photo with this piece.

[CyberHippie]

Neat but I do find it funny how scientists are claiming to have discovered this new mammal, when the locals have been hunting and trapping it for years... But I guess that's how it goes...

[hamilton]

I work with a guy who looks just like that! Maybe he's a Laotian rock rat.

[PhishyK]

Well, just go ahead and ask him if he is