40 new species discovered, including a Rodent of Unusual Size (edited title)

[Indian]

… in a remote volacano crater in Papua New Guinea.

*A host of weird and wonderful animals has been discovered by a BBC expedition which ventured deep into some of the world’s most remote rainforest.

The team can’t be sure until scientists have had a chance to formally evaluate and describe the animals found, but they suspect they may have discovered up to 40 new species, including approximately 16 species of frog, one species of gecko, at least three new species of fish, 20 species of insect and spider and one new species of bat. *

[Laudenum]

That rat could eat a cat

[foxymoron]

That is so exciting! I hope the program mentioned will air or be available in the U.S. soon.
Thanks for sharing this.

[bup]

Very cool. New species of mammals - now that’s a big deal.

[yojimbo]

Looking forward to seeing this prog tomorrow on BBC.

[Malleus_Incus_Stapes]

Does anyone else think the giant rat strongly resembles the R.O.U.S. from The Princess Bride?

Of course, it is a rodent of unusual size.

[Hunter_Hawk]

Quick! Someone alert Sherlock Holmes!

[Reepicheep]

@Laudenum

That rat could eat a cat

ROUS?

[Cisco]

Anybody know when us 'Mericans can watch this?

[StGermain]

Giant Rat

Measuring 82 centimeters (32.2 inches) from nose to tail and weighing around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds), the species is thought to be one of the largest rats ever to be found.

The discovery was made by a team from the BBC Natural History Unit inside the crater of Mount Bosavi – an extinct volcano in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea.

“This is one of the world’s largest rats. It’s a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers,” said Kristofer Helgen, a biologist from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who was part of the expedition team.

Initial examinations of the rat – provisionally named the Bosavi woolly rat – suggest that it belongs to the Mallomys – a genus of rodents in the muridae family which are the largest living species of rodent.

’

StG

[Polycarp]

It migrated there from Sumatra, of course!

Speaking of Rodents Of Unusual Size…!

By the way, minor error in the linked article. It’s not in the genus that is the “world’s largest species of living rodent” – make that last word “myomorph” and it’d be correct.

[Wile_E]

Okay, I’ll say it. Rodents of unusual size? I still don’t believe they exist.

[tr0psn4j]

I’ve always wanted to try eating a nutria.

[Sunspace]

@tr0psn4j

I’ve always wanted to try eating a nutria.

Sounds nutriicious.

[Johnny_L.A]

@Polycarp

It migrated there from Sumatra, of course!

I’m waiting for them to capture a Sumatran rat-monkey.

[Paul_in_Qatar]

We ought to import them to the US to see if they make good pets. If they don’t work out, we can just flush them into the sewers.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@Polycarp

“world’s largest species of living rodent”

…would be the capybara, described by our own Unca Cecil as “110 lb of pure ugly.” They taste like pork, though.

[Paul_in_Qatar]

They smell quite bad too.

[astro]

@Wile_E

Okay, I’ll say it. Rodents of unusual size? I still don’t believe they exist.

And you would be wrong.

[Triskadecamus]

@Beware_of_Doug

…would be the capybara, described by our own Unca Cecil as “110 lb of pure ugly.” They taste like pork, though.

Theologically, though, they taste like fish.

[close obscure reference]

Tris