(Take that, PZ!) A new species of giant rat — 82 cm (32 inches!) long, with no apparent fear of humans — has been found living in a volcano in New Guinea. It was discovered by a BBC team filming in the area.
Then trackers accompanying the team managed to trap a live specimen.
“I had a cat and it was about the same size as this rat,” says Buchanan.
The trapped rat measured 82cm in length from its nose to its tail, and weighed approximately 1.5kg.
It had a silver-brown coat of thick long fur, which the scientists who examined it believe may help it survive the wet and cold conditions that can occur within the high volcano crater. The location where the rat was discovered lies at an elevation of over 1,000m.
You can see a video of this gigantic murid here. It’s surprisingly cute.
Although touted as a new species, it looks very similar to another giant rat discovered in New Guinea in June, 2007 and discussed in a National Geographic post. That rat looks like this:
Fig. 1. The 2007 giant rat. (Photo courtesy of National Geographic.)
h/t: otter
That’s either a very sedate or dead rodent or else a very brave handler!
Not necassarily, as the rat had never seen the human species before
Just because that guy has a mustache and a goatee is no reason to call him a rat.
/bada-boom
So now we cat ‘Raturday’ pictures?
If I hadn’t seen that news before, I would have thought the header meant that since Dembski can’t find or speak truthfully about science, science had found (and spoken truthfully about) Dembski.
@ Ray Moscow:
The BBC clips seems to show their rat grooming and searching for food while held in the tail. Another article claimed that those rats weren’t scared by humans. I would guess it’s sedate by isolation.
The rat is quiet because it knows well, with the handler’s hand where it is, any bad behaviour will be a lose-lose situation…
I guess Sherlock Holmes got his geography slightly wrong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_rat#Sherlock_Holmes_and_the_Giant_Rat_of_Sumatra
Thank you for a truly wonderful wasted hour chasing links in your link! Took me back 40 years. Or more!
I like where this is going.
Also: awwwwwww
That is super awesome… but since they are already not fearful of humans, when are they going to be showing up in pet stores around my area?
I want a giant rat that is just like a puppy!
For anyone that lives in the UK, “Lost Land of the Volcano” starts tomorrow night (Tue) at 9pm on BBC1.
There are more pictures of what was found on the Guardian website.
It is believed that they found up to 40 new species.
UK residents: that series starts tomorrow (Tuesday) night on BBC1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mq3p1
There’s no mention of the giant rats, though, so that’s probably in later episodes.
Here’s CNN’s take on it:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/07/giant.rat.papua/index.html
If we assume that these are indeed a legitimate species which furthermore did not migrate into the extinct volcano from lower elevations but instead evolved there (reasonable assumptions?), then how old is the volcano? How long have they had to evolve?
Is their tameness perhaps due to lack of predators?
Honestly if you hadn’t told me that it was A Really Large Rat I’d have assumed (looking at the photo) that it was an Opossum! o_O
Reminds me of Urban Legends about NYC’s Giant Wharf/Sewer Rats.
Rodents of Unusual Size? Inconceivable!
To Room 101…
MMmmmm tasty! I wonder how long it’ll be before that crater is overrun with tourists?
Just 2 thoughts here:
Did they find four giant adolescent turtles nearby as well? TMNT since 1984!
Shit! Have to buy more lumber to build the new maze.
OK, 3: Master Splinter, not the maze again! More lumber…
That’s the first fluffy rather cuddly looking rat I’ve ever seen. It’s facial features looks a bit like a beaver’s as it doesn’t have the pointed nose that generally gives rats a harsh look.
typo: looks should be look
“Surprisingly” cute? Besides being the most largest family of mammals, murids are a very handsome group with many very adorable members. There is nothing surprising about this new species’ cuteness.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. its. so. cute.
that giant rat is so cute! I bet they would be cuddly pets!
I’ve had many rats for pet and males are such sweet souishes.
Its freaking ugly retard…
it said they had know apparent fear of humans. i wasnt surprised to see him so calm. ooooooooooorrr… they could have him in a trance
what one is the rat ??????????????