How scientists find new animals: 8 newly discovered species
TEXT: Anton Mukhataev
Zoology describes almost two million species of animals. According to scientists, this is only a small part of the total number existing on Earth. New species are constantly being discovered, but rarely it is of interest to someone other than experts. Moreover, they still detect not only rare mollusks and insects, but also those previously unknown to mammalian science. We collected the history of the discovery of eight species, which we learned about relatively recently: some were found in poorly studied regions and museum collections, others were calculated in laboratories.
Snub-nosed monkeys sneezing during rain
Rhinopithecus strykeri
In 2010, a group of Swiss primatologist Thomas Geissman found in the north of Myanmar a snub-nosed monkey, whose nostrils do not hide behind anything. Because of this, she sneezes when it rains. To protect herself from him, she lowers her face down and hides her head between her knees. In 2011, the species was officially described, in the same year, a small population was found in China, after which it was immediately protected.
Egyptian wolves who were mistaken for jackals
Canis lupus lupaster
The fact that small wolves live in the north of Africa was written by Aristotle, but at the beginning of the 20th century the German zoologist Ernst Schwartz described them as jackals. The controversy over whom they were attributed continued until 2011, when a DNA examination showed that their closest relatives were wolves. As it turned out, the ancestors of wolves appeared in Africa 3 million years ago and only after that they spread throughout the northern hemisphere. Now there are only a few dozen representatives of the species, and there are no laws protecting them.
Monkeys with an expressive look
Cercopithecus lomamiensis
A group of scientists led by biologist John Hart discovered a monkey forest in 2007 in the central part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at home with the school principal holding a monkey in a cage. He got it from a local resident who shot her mom. Because of the hunters, extinction threatened the mind: until 2012, when it was described and officially recognized, it was impossible to count on help from the state. Two national parks were discovered, guarding the places where about half of the monkey population lives.
Little Oingito, which are confused with a close view
Bassaricyon neblina
In the 1960s, the Olingito female, the youngest member of the raccoon family, was mistakenly placed in the Washington Zoo along with the usual olingo. She was transported from the zoo to the zoo, but she did not mate with anyone and died. It took thirty years for scientists to isolate it as a separate species. In 2003, zoologist Christopher Helgeen saw the remains of an olingo-like animal in the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. The structure of the skull and the skin tone seemed unusual to him, and he decided to conduct an examination. To prove that the remains belong to a new species, in 2006 Heldgen had to equip an expedition to the South American Andes. For a week, scientists discovered four subspecies of olingito. They spent the next few years outlining the habitat and redrawing the raccoon family tree, and in 2013 presented a description of the new species.
Wild cats resembling miniature jaguars
Leopardus guttulus
In 2013, scientists in Brazil have identified a subspecies of oncillae living in the south of the country, in a separate species. An examination of DNA conducted by Eduardo Eyzirik showed that they do not intersect with other subspecies that live in the north, but with Geoffroy cats adjacent to them. Since the end of the 20th century, oncillae are considered a vulnerable species, their populations are threatened with poaching and deforestation.
Marsupials dying from stress during mating
Antechinus arktos
Since 2012, the theriologist (mammalian specialist) Andrew Baker has described several new species of marsupial mice found in eastern Australia. One of the last for today is the black-tailed marsupial mouse, discovered in 2014, similar to its neighbors in that males rarely live longer than a year. They reach sexual maturity at 9 months, and in the next mating season they mate for several weeks for 12-14 hours in a row. Because of the stress in the body of males, an excess amount of dangerous hormone accumulates, and soon they die.
Little shrews with a trunk
Macroscelides micus
The first representative of the smallest species of the jumping family was discovered in 2006 in the desert in northwestern Namibia. One of the shrews mined by the staff of the California Academy of Sciences was distinguished by a reddish coat color. The DNA examination did not provide convincing results, due to which the next few years had to spend on catching 15 new shrews. That open a new species, scientists announced only in June 2014.
Giant pékari who were considered extinct
Pecari maximus
Dutch naturalist Mark van Roosmalen discovered the giant bakers in 2000 in tropical forests in southern Brazil. After seven years, the species was officially described: they differ from other bakers in that they live in pairs with 1-2 cubs. Disputes about whether this is a separate species or not are continuing: some scientists consider the results of DNA examination to be inconclusive and state that giant bakers belong to collar bakers.
MATERIAL was first published on Look At Me
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