Red-Crested Tree Rat Reappears After 113 Years

Red-Crested Tree Rat Reappears After 113 Years




A red-crested tree rat, a rodent about the size of a guinea pig, has been sighted for the first time in decades. The relatively unknown creature made a casual reappearance in a Columbian nature reserve after over a century, and even stayed around for a photoshoot.


Volunteers at the El Dorado Nature Reserve in the Sierra Nevada were overjoyed to receive an evening visit from the red-crested tree rat. It was last recorded sighted in 1898, when two of the critters were found and studied, and were subsequently the source of all information about the rat, until now.

Spotted by two volunteers working at the reserve, the rat’s reapperance has been credited to the work being done by Fundacion ProAves, a conservation organisation founded in 1998 to save endangered species in Columbia. The charity buys forested properties which are on the brink of being destroyed, despite being known to be important for endangered wildlife, and monitors a number of rare species. It’s pretty handy, therefore, that the red-crested tree rat chose this reserve, founded in 2005, to say hello to.


Despite its miraculous appearance, the rat, also known as the red crested soft-furred spiny-rat, seemed fairly relaxed about making history. Lizzie Noble, a volunteer from Britain, had been at the reserve for just a month when she witnessed the creature: “He just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting and seemed totally unperturbed by all the excitement he was causing. We are absolutely delighted to have rediscovered such a wonderful creature <...> Clearly the El Dorado Reserve has many more exciting discoveries waiting,” she said in a ProAves press release.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/red-crested-tree-rat/

:rofl:

Look at that fluffy little guy. Every kid in America is going to want one, and if they can catch two breeding pairs the pet stores will be full of these things inside of a year.

Tree rats in the wild, OTOH? Oh, they're toast. Ten years max.

doesnt even look that old.

Maybe this is heaven for red-crested tree rats ... Hey, I'm just thinking logically here. :)

I have to get away from everyone sometimes, too.

I love these re-appearance stories:-)

Now if we can only hope that the yangtze river dolphin re-appears someday :-(

Beady little eyes and all

Its all clear to me now. :crazy:

when I opened this thread knowing the senses of humor around here. The descriptions match, after all. But this rat is kind of a cute little guy, unlike Dumpster, who is human sewage personified.

Nice litle bit of good news for the day!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I love reading stories like this (few and far between as they are).

I guess he'll have to find a new term of opprobrium now.