Australian researchers have discovered a new species of rat in the mountains of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The hog-nosed shrew rat, scientific name Hyorhinomys stuempkei, grows to around 45 centimetres and weighs about 250 grams.
"I am still amazed that we can walk into a forest and find a new species of mammal that is so obviously different from any species, or even genus, that has ever been documented by science," Museum Victoria researcher Dr Kevin Rowe said.
(Image: Museum Victoria)
Perhaps the most curious feature of the hog-nosed rat is its long pubic hair that can measure up to 15 millimeters.
“Such hairs may provide the rat with information about the terrain underneath them, for instance, or possibly provide proximity information during the mating process,” said Rowe.
The team’s next step is to examine wildlife on another ten of Sulawesi’s mountains, and Rowe promises there will be many more discoveries coming out of Sulawesi.
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