Post date: Aug 15, 2013 6:6:31 PM
After years of suffering a mistaken identity, the Olinguito, a member of the raccoon family, is recognized as the newest mammal in the western hemisphere.
WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 15, 2013) (REUTERS) - A small creature that looks like a cross between a house cat and teddy bear has become the first new carnivore species discovered in the American continents in 35 years.
Smithsonian Science announced on Thursday (August 15) that the olinguito for decades has been mistaken for similar mammals in the family Procyonidae, which includes raccoons and the olingos of South America.An olinguito, named Ringerl, was even living in the Smithsonian-run National Zoo in Washington D.C. in the 1960s but was mistaken for an olingo. All attempts to mate Ringerl with fellow olingos failed.
Overlooked museum specimens of the olinguito helped a team of Smithsonian scientists identify it as a new species. Smithsonian zoologist Kristofer Helgen said he was was visiting museums to find out how many species of the olingo existed. A surprise discovery of an unusual specimen at the Chicago Field Museum revealed the existence of the olinguito.
Examining museum skins, Helgen found a new species that was smaller with a longer and denser coat than that of the olingo. The teeth and skull were also smaller and differently shaped.
"I was completely convinced that I had a species new to science, a new kind of animal, the smallest member of the raccoon family," said Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
The olinguito weighs about two pounds, is the smallest member of the raccoon family, has large eyes, orange-brown fur, and is found only in the cloud forests of the northern Andes Mountains, according to the Smithsonian.