Photos Taken of 'Living Fossil' in Laos

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/14/AR2006061401915.html
(AP Photos/Florida State University, Uthai Treesucon) (Uthai Treesucon - AP)
cute little thing, eh?


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The first pictures showing a live specimen of a rodent species once thought to have been extinct for 11 million years have been taken by a retired Florida State University professor and a Thai wildlife biologist.

They took video and still photographs of the "living fossil," which looks like a small squirrel or tree shrew, in May during an expedition to central Laos near the Thai border.

In this photo provided by Florida State University, a Diatomyidae is seen in Laos in May 2006. The Diatomyidae, or Laotian rock rat, was the first live specimen of its species to be photographed in Doy, a small village in central Laos during an expedition by Florida State University professor David Redfield and Thai biologist Uthai Treesucon. The species once was thought to have been extinct for 11 million years.

snip

The long-whiskered rodent was branded as a new species last year when biologists first examined dead specimens they found being sold at meat markets. But they had never seen a live animal until Redfield and Treesucon photographed it.

"These images are extremely important scientifically, showing as they do an animal (with) such markedly distinctive anatomical and functional attributes," said Mary Dawson, curator emeritus of vertebrate paleontology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

I'd want one but my cats would make a meal of it.

:)

Persistent, tenacious little creature.

Do they have any recipes for it?

It's another example of rare and important animals being hunted for meat. It could easily have been driven to extinction like so many others.

Speaking of which:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1432124
Thread title (6-15-06 GD): Guardian/UK: Japan Buys Votes to Take Control of Whaling Body

:yoiks:

Swampy! But it STILL has the teensiest little tail I ever did see. :evilgrin:

:eyes:

"They returned the animal, which the locals call kha-nyou, to its rocky home after photographing it." (From the opening post article) Hope it survives.