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New Mammal Species Found in Borneo
lemonysam writes "The BBC is reporting that a new mammal species has been discovered in Borneo by a conservation group trying to document the local species, as part an effort to prevent the destruction of their habitat by logging and agriculture. The species, which has not been identified by local experts or the indigenous population, is roughly the size of a domestic cat and is believed to be carnivorous."
What does it taste like?
What are you listening to? (http://megamanic.blogetery.com/)
I just HAVE to have a coat with this critter's fur as trim.
It should be a species of a particular genus, no? Mammals are an entire class of organisms, where if the species is new we should at least be able to identify the genus (and order, and family).
What is even more interesting is not only is it a mammal, but it is a carnivore. This means that is relatively high on the food chain, but it has gone unnoticed thus far. This begs the next question: has it really gone unnoticed for so long, or has the species only recently evolved? We discover new insects and bactera all the time, but discovering a new mammal kind of revives that scientific ambition in all of this that there really are some things out there that haven't been found.
It seems that the title is a bit misleading.
"So far, two images are all that exist. But they were enough to convince Nick Isaac from the Institute of Zoology in London that the animal may indeed be new. "The photos look most like a lemur," he told the BBC News website. "But there certainly shouldn't be lemurs in Borneo." "
This all sounds incredibly ethereal to me. Thus I find it odd that they say "New Species Found..."
The species only actually sprung into existence about a year ago. You can tell that, because the local people still don't remember seeing it. Soon, the locals will remember it, complete with a history and folklore. By then it may be real enough that it can exist as a zoo specimen, rather than a mere couple of blurry photos.
Even now, its fossil ancestors are probably forming spontaneously in the rocks of Borneo.
Haven't you ever heard of the X-Men? Not only did this thing recently evolve, it probably has adamantium claws and super regeneration.
-Da3vid-
Let me be the first to say: that's not actually funny. Is it even a joke?
Why would a mammal cause France to surrender? What's the historical analogy? Is this from the Fox News version of "The Daily Show"? What gives?
You can't create jokes by adding cliches to news stories.
New mammal found : "It's A Trap" says Akbar -- not funny
New mammal found : "GWB can't pronounce its name" -- not funny
New mammal found in Indonesia : US Govt pleased since they won't have to ship it to Indonesia in order to torture it as a Terror suspect -- not funny
Don't give up the day job.
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
Its a Pokemon!
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
"The photos look most like a lemur," he told the BBC News website. "But there certainly shouldn't be lemurs in Borneo."
Tell that to the fucking lemurs in Borneo.
Was it just me, or did the image of the new mammal first look like a tiny brontosaurus?
It really looks like a Fossa - usually native to Madagascar. Wikipedia Fossa.
It's a member of the Viverridae family, which is fairly poorly known, due to their being a) nocturnal b) rare and c) furtive.
Narrator: Bigfoot: Endangered Mystery! In the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest dwells the strange and beautiful creature known as Bigfoot, perhaps.
Fry: That proves it!
Narrator: Sadly, logging and human settlement today threaten what might possibly be his habitat, although if it's not, they don't. Bigfoot populations require vast amounts of land to remain elusive in. They typically dwell just behind rocks, but are also sometimes playful, bounding into thick fogs and out-of-focus areas. Remember, it's up to us. Bigfoot is a crucial part of the ecosystem, if he exists. So let's all help keep Bigfoot possibly alive for future generations to enjoy unless he doesn't exist. The end!
does it run (Fe)Linux?
I'll get my hat....
In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.
BBC TV reported that there was some debate over what the new beastie should be called. The leader of the team which discovered it was one Stephan Wulffraat.
I know what my money's on.
...I don't think they exist.
The whole area of the filing of lifeforms - taxonomy - is in a state of flux, and the best way to get a grip on it is to read the popular writings of Jay Gould, who is so sadly no longer with us. Classification with genetics is at an early stage and we still do not know how to measure genetic difference reliably - which is why there is now disagreement over how closely human beings and chimpanzees are related. We can measure very small genetic divergences in the same species, but measuring the size and significance of genetic diferences between related species is very hard.
Disclaimer - I am not a taxonomist, just someone who is interested in the subject. Which is why I urge you to read Jay Gould. Even if you aren't really that interested in the subject, his writings should be familiar to any reasonably well informed slashdot reader.
Pining for the fjords
So IT IS decided that these animals will go extinct is it?Documentaion of them is the main concern?!! huh.
Why does yahoo do this
You mean it wasn't endangered before we found it, but now that we have it's DOOMED! Right?
I find new species all the time in my fridge :> One of them ate my domestic cat.
Tux2slack
Oh sure -- you eat one conservationist, and they tag you a carnivore.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."--Feynman
Right, god forbid those people actually living in Borneo be allowed to scrape out a living.
Shut up, your "righteous indignation" fails when people will have to starve for your conscience to be soothed.
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
Toothed whales cannot (as far as I know) eat plankton, so they are definitely carnivores. Krill is animal, as are zooplankton (as opposed to phytoplankton, which is plant, and bacterioplankton, which is bacterial). This means that Baeleen whales are eating both plant and animal, so are technically omnivores.
Dogs are also omnivores - well, maybe I should say that they THINK they're omnivores. T. Rex was probably omnivore - there is evidence it ate plant material - and if they ever extract any DNA from the T. Rex organic material they've found, you may yet get the chance to eat one. Or vice versa.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)