Misclassified Species Revealed

On Thursday, August 15, 2013, the Smithsonian scientists announced that they had made a rare discovery of a new mammal, which is the first animal discovered in 35 years!  

This adorable mammal is about the size of a raccoon, and has the face of a teddy bear.  Its bodies features also include a long tail, large eyes and rusty colored fur.   Many people say it looks like a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear.

Since the classification of this animal is so new, many people do not know about it.  But, if you watch the News, or like to surf the web, you may have heard of the olinguito (pronounced oh-lin-GHEE-toe).

This is a picture of an olinguito laying in a tree

The olinguito is a native mammal to the Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador.  They weigh about 2 pounds and mostly eat fruit found in trees.

But, scientists are stumped on how this creature has been mislabeled as their cousin, an olingo. Or, in other words, are NOT a new species.

 

This is an olingo                                    This is an olinguito

Many scientists find it silly that, there actually HAVE been olinguitos in zoos.  But, since this new species of animals has been classified as olingos for over 100 years, nobody realized that this species was just one of the many new species that are patiently waiting to be classified as a new species.

The olingo (the cousin of the olinguito) has short, grey fur, while the olinguito has thick rusty red fur.  But, unlike the olinguito, which to native to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and Colombia, the olingo is native to rain forests in south and Central America, stretching from Peru to Nicaragua.  An olingo’s body length is between 36-42 centimeters, and their tail is about 37-49 centimeters long.  An olinguito’s body length is about 14 centimeters long, while its tail is about 13-17 inches long.   

But enough about the olingo.  The olinguito is shy, nocturnal, and has been in U.S. zoos since the ‘70s and ‘80.  Isn't that baffling?  For years, people have seen an “undiscovered” mammal.

The scientific name for an olinguito is Bassaricyon Neblina, which is Spanish for “little olingo”.  The olinguitos are also part of the order carnivora.  This means they are carnivores.  But olinguitos are almost always observed eating fruit.  Olinguitos are also in the family Procyonidae, or the raccoon family.  

Many scientists believe that the olinguito is the smallest mammal inside the raccoon family.   

Think about this: Have YOU ever seen an olinguito?  Also, think of how you treat the world.  Olinguitos, and all other animals of the world, need a home, and, if you destroy it, how are scientists supposed to classify other animals?

Also, think of all the places that haven’t been explored.  How many discoveries can YOU make?  Just by doing the simplest tasks, like recycling or reducing the amount of trips you take in a car, you can help scientists.