Tuesday, August 20, 2013

New mammal species olinguito discovered

The olinguito, a small mammal native to South America, was announced as the first new carnivorous mammal species discovered in the American Continents in 35 years today.

Its discovery was announced on August 15, 2013 by Kristofer Helgen, the curator of mammals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, olingo expert Roland Kays of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and collaborators. Helgen discovered specimens of the species in storage at Field Museum of Chicago and used DNA testing to confirm a new species.

The olinguito  is Spanish name  for "little olingo", is a mammal of the genus Bassaricyon in the family Procyonidae (the raccoon family) that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador.

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