Thursday, December 08, 2005
New Carnivore Species in Borneo
I am sure that most people have heard about this by now but just in case you haven't...
The animal, which is slightly larger than a cat with red fur and a long bushy tail was twice photographed at night by a camera trap. If researchers confirm this, it would be the first time in more than a century that a new carnivore has been discovered on the island. The last species of carnivore discovered in Borneo was the Borneo ferret-badger in 1895.
WWF researchers have not yet established whether this is an entirely new species or a variant species of the civet cat. The animal looks like a cross between a fox and a cat with very small ears and large hind legs and researchers are hoping to confirm the identity by setting cage traps and catching a live specimen.
“We showed the photos of the animal to locals who know the wildlife of the area, but nobody had ever seen this creature before,” said Stephan Wulffraat, a biologist who is coordinating the research. ‘We also consulted several Bornean wildlife experts, some thought it looked like a lemur, but most were convinced it was a new species of carnivore.”
Pictures of the new species of carnivore in Borneo were first taken in 2003, but the WWF withheld publication the photos as research continued. The WWF decided to make the photos public to coincide with the publication of a book about Borneo.
www.wwf.org
The animal, which is slightly larger than a cat with red fur and a long bushy tail was twice photographed at night by a camera trap. If researchers confirm this, it would be the first time in more than a century that a new carnivore has been discovered on the island. The last species of carnivore discovered in Borneo was the Borneo ferret-badger in 1895.
WWF researchers have not yet established whether this is an entirely new species or a variant species of the civet cat. The animal looks like a cross between a fox and a cat with very small ears and large hind legs and researchers are hoping to confirm the identity by setting cage traps and catching a live specimen.
“We showed the photos of the animal to locals who know the wildlife of the area, but nobody had ever seen this creature before,” said Stephan Wulffraat, a biologist who is coordinating the research. ‘We also consulted several Bornean wildlife experts, some thought it looked like a lemur, but most were convinced it was a new species of carnivore.”
Pictures of the new species of carnivore in Borneo were first taken in 2003, but the WWF withheld publication the photos as research continued. The WWF decided to make the photos public to coincide with the publication of a book about Borneo.
www.wwf.org
# posted by Morgan @ 7:42 AM 
