Unusual rodent spotted in Peru
Researchers have discovered a new species of spiny rat in the cloud forests of Peru's Manu National Park. Isothrix barbarabrownae, as it is called, could also shed light on the family tree of this group of animals.
The spiny rat was described by scientists led by Bruce Patterson from the Field Museum in Chicago, who discovered the species in 1999 in mountain forests at an altitude of almost 1900 meters. So far, little is known about the lifestyle of Isothrix barbarabrownae, except that it is nocturnal and mainly climbs the branches of trees. The animal is characterized by long, dense fur, a broad skull and a densely hairy tail, as well as black tufts of hair on the crown, neck and tail.
His closest relatives all live - as far as is known - in the Amazon lowlands, but they probably descend from a ancestor from the Andes. Isothrix barbarabrownae may now close this evolutionary gap, DNA studies suggest.
Manu National Park is probably the most biodiverse protected area on earth - during the three years of the survey, 1999 to 2001 alone, Patterson and his team added at least eleven new mammal species to the global species list.
