The Hyurhinomys stuempkei, or hog-nosed rat, was discovered in a mountainous area in Sulawesi Island, off the coast of Indonesia.
A Mammal Very Different from Any Other
The species was found by a team of scientists from Museum Victoria in Australia, Louisiana State University and the Dutch Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Mount Dako on Sulawesi Island. Kevin Rowe, a member of the museum’s team, shares that the new species of mammal is very obviously different from any other documented by science.
The team describes the animal as having a large, flat, pink nose, with forward-facing nostrils that are oddly reminiscent of a pig’s, and with extremely large ears. The photos also show a small mouth and long, white front teeth. It appears to be the size of a normal rat, and researchers assume that it is carnivorous, with a diet of earthworms and beetle larvae, likely.
Five of the little guys were seen in January, but they had gone undocumented.
The Rat Version of a Bandicoot
Rowe goes on to say that Hyorhinomys, to Australians, is sort of a rat version of a bandicoot, with its long hind legs and long, pointed face ideal for slurping up invertebrate prey. Jake Esselstyn, mammal curator at LSU, adds that the team was quickly aware they’d spotted a new species after catching an animal in their 2013 expedition, and it has since then spiraled a slew of new discoveries, the hog-nosed rat being just one of them, and they expect many more as they continue to explore.†
Diversity at Sulawesi Island
There’s plenty of biogeographical complexity at Sulawesi Island, so the team is not very surprised at their findings, though they’re no less ecstatic. The surprising element is the degree to which these animals are different, it’s not simply one or two differences, it’s entirely new creatures.
So there are great hopes for the team at Sulawesi Island, the chance of many other discoveries is high. The world is nearly as excited to see what they’ll uncover next as they are.
The complete report of their findings is available in the latest issue of the Journal of Mammalogy.
