# Are there still unexplored parts of the world where unknown animals may lurk? August 16, 2013 YES **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 16, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402 "2013-08-16T09:10:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Medium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Medium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medium)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/1 "2013-08-16T09:10:12Z")
For the First Time in 35 Years, A New Carnivorous Mammal Species is Discovered in the American Continents. Native to the cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia, the olinguito is the newest member of the raccoon family. [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/For-the-First-Time-in-35-Years-A-New-Carnivorous-Mammal-Species-is-Discovered-in-the-Western-Hemisphere–219762981.html#New-Mammal-Olinguito-1.png](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/For-the-First-Time-in-35-Years-A-New-Carnivorous-Mammal-Species-is-Discovered-in-the-Western-Hemisphere--219762981.html#New-Mammal-Olinguito-1.png) For all of modern history, a small, carnivorous South American mammal in the raccoon family has evaded the scientific community. Untold thousands of these red, furry creatures scampered through the trees of the Andean cloud forests, but they did so at night, hidden by dense fog. Nearly two dozen preserved samples—mostly skulls or furs— were mislabeled in museum collections across the United States. There’s even evidence that one individual lived in several American zoos during the 1960s—its keepers were mystified as to why it refused to breed with its peers. Although new species of insects and amphibians are discovered fairly regularly, new mammals are rare, and new carnivorous mammals especially rare. The last new carnivorous mammal, a mongoose-like creature native to Madagascar, was uncovered in 2010. The most recent such find in the Western Hemisphere, the Colombian weasel, occurred in 1978. Olinguitos, formally known as Bassaricyon neblina, inhabit the cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia in the thousands, and the team’s analysis suggests that they are distributed widely enough to exist as four separate subspecies. “This is extremely unusual in carnivores,” Helgen said, in advance of the announcement. “I honestly think that this could be the last time in history that we will turn up this kind of situation—both a new carnivore, and one that’s widespread enough to have multiple kinds.” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/2 "2013-08-16T10:45:56Z")
Welcome to the Dope **Medium**. Glad to have you here. It is standard however, to provide a link to[the column in question](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3121/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk) when you comment. And a fascinating link of your own. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/3 "2013-08-16T13:27:49Z")
> [@Medium](#): > > For the First Time in 35 Years, A New Carnivorous Mammal Species is Discovered in the American Continents. Grrrr. Not carnivorous, _carnivora_. And the little olinguito wasn’t unknown (heck, the National Zoo had one in the seventies) so much as incorrectly classified (everyone just assumed it was some kind of dwarf olingo). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/4 "2013-08-16T13:45:26Z")
“Unknown” in the sense of “not recognized as a distinct species”. Turns out the DNA sample for olingos in the database was from an olinguito. Doh! ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/5 "2013-08-16T13:47:55Z")
I’ll bet if we explored the Marianas Trench, we’d find some cool critters. Anyone know if any explorers have ever been down there? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/6 "2013-08-16T13:50:35Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Anyone know if any explorers have ever been down there? Don’t force it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/7 "2013-08-16T13:55:24Z")
**eastcheap** is pointing out the distinction between the biological order of _carnivorans_ that includes weasels, cats, dogs, bears, seals, etc, and the term _carnivorous_ that applies to any animal that exclusively or primarily eats meat. Some _carnivorans_, such as the giant panda, are largely herbivorous. The article states that while olinguitos occassionally eat insects, they largely feed on tree fruit. Calling them “carnivorous” seems misleading. It’s weird that the Smithsonian’s Kristofer Helgen would not make that distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/8 "2013-08-16T14:13:25Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > I’ll bet if we explored the Marianas Trench, we’d find some cool critters. > > Anyone know if any explorers have ever been down there? Didn’t James Cameron head down that way recently? Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/9 "2013-08-16T14:18:22Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Don’t force it! 😃 Who could resist such low-hanging fruit? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/10 "2013-08-16T14:21:29Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/11 "2013-08-16T16:08:09Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > I’ll bet if we explored the Marianas Trench, we’d find some cool critters. > > Anyone know if any explorers have ever been down there? Yes, 1960 times, in 20BCE, for 1 minute. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/12 "2013-08-16T16:20:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there still unexplored parts of the world where unknown animals may lurk? > [@Medium](#): > > For the First Time in 35 Years, A New Carnivorous Mammal Species is Discovered in the American Continents. Well, OK, _now_ the answer is no. I’m sure of it this time! ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/13 "2013-08-18T07:40:51Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Well, OK, _now_ the answer is no. I’m sure of it this time! Cite? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/14 "2013-08-23T23:05:23Z")
From Cecil’s column: > [@](#): > > The immense mid-ocean ridges formed by plate tectonics, which at 40,000 miles are by far the longest continuous mountain range in the world, weren’t discovered until the 1950s. Someone (Cecil?) is off by at least an order of magnitude here. The Earth is only 25,000 miles in circumference, so a 40,000 mile continuous mountain range would have to spiral around the globe 1.6 times. Not likely. A 4,000 mile range is within the realm of possibility. ---
**Author:** ![turtlescanfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/15 "2013-08-23T23:32:22Z")
No, 40,000 miles is correct. From Wikipedia (mid-ocean ridges): > [@](#): > > The mid-ocean ridges of the world are connected and form a single global mid-oceanic ridge system that is part of every ocean, making the mid-oceanic ridge system the longest mountain range in the world. The continuous mountain range is 65,000 km (40,400 mi) long (several times longer than the Andes, the longest continental mountain range), and the total length of the oceanic ridge system is 80,000 km (49,700 mi) long. From what I gather, they zig and zag all over the surface of the ocean floor. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/16 "2013-08-26T14:58:59Z")
> [@turtlescanfly](#): > > No, 40,000 miles is correct. From Wikipedia (mid-ocean ridges): > > From what I gather, they zig and zag all over the surface of the ocean floor. Well, if you look at the [map included](http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/baseball.html)\* in the Wikipedia article, the continuous mid-oceanic ridge system really does zig and zag all over the bottoms of the Artic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Plus apparently has several multi-hundred-mile dead-end branchings. Yeah… 40k kilometers is perfectly reasonable. \*I’ve referred back to the original image from the US Geologic Survey. I find it amusing that the USGS calls this image “baseball”… because the oceanic ridgelines do have an interesting resemblence to the stitching of the seam a baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/17 "2013-08-28T14:44:59Z")
You know, it occurs to me that the megameter is a seriously underused unit of measure. =) Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/18 "2013-08-28T15:06:35Z")
Solar physicists use megameters all the time, since it’s a conveniently-sized unit for most features on the Sun. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/19 "2013-08-29T17:34:22Z")
That may be, but I still think it’s underused. =) Mostly I was struck by the oddness of gnoitall’s “40k kilometer” construction, which would expand to “40 kilo-kilometers”. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402/20 "2013-08-30T03:24:56Z")
Is Megamind’s head a megameter across? > **[Megamind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megamind)** > > Megamind is a 2010 American computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film stars the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt. It tells the story of Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain; after defeating his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Megamind creates a new hero to fight, but m... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-unexplored-parts-of-the-world-where-unknown-animals-may-lurk-august-16-2013-yes/666402.md?page=2)