These Semi-Aquatic Mice Are as Fascinating as They Are Adorable
African rainforests are home to some of
the most delightful and surprising species on Earth, as demonstrated by
recent research into some rather unusual water-loving rodents.
A
study published today in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
describes two species of semi-aquatic mice. Living in the Congo Basin
and the western parts of equatorial Africa, these mice make a living by
hunting insects and tadpoles while wading through shallow water.
The
authors of the new study, led by biologist Tom Giarla from Siena
College in New York, did a deep dive into an enigmatic genus of mouse
known as Colomys, which translates to “stilt mouse” on account of their elongated feet.
Two
of Giarla’s collaborators on the project, Terry Demos and Julian Kerbis
Peterhans from the Field Museum in Chicago, had been doing field work
in Africa for decades, and they told him about a rather odd species of
rodent they had been catching near streams and swamps in central
Africa—a rodent known as Colomys goslingi…
Hog-nosed Shrew Rat (Hyorhinomys stuempkei), Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Discovered by Western Science in 2015. This rat is carnivorous, feeding mainly on small on invertebrates, mostly beetle larvae and worms. this species is endemic to northern Sulawesi.
I hate the calm app so much why must every soothing lecture incorporate ceaseless cricket beeping i dont know or trust any of these individuals and yet they are telling me when to breathe????????
