Known only by two fossils, the Chinchilla rat was recently seen alive and kicking …
Reversing the normal trend, a cat-sized rat, known from fossils alone, has come alive.
Believed to be extinct, the Chinchilla rat was re-discovered near an archaeological site near the Machu Picchu ruins.The massive rat was known solely by two skulls discovered in 400-year-old Incan pottery. Dug up in 1912, the skulls were believed to belong to a species that was extinct, reports Mongabay.
But in 2009 a park ranger, Roberto Quispe, reported sighting and treating a live Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat near the original archaeological site.
However, not knowing the significance of the find, he released the mammal into the wild. A field study was undertaken to find the rat.
The team of Mexican and Peruvian experts from the Instituto de Ecología of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma in Mexico recently found not only a live sample of the Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat (Cuscomys oblativa) during the study but also discovered seven new species.
According to the IUCN Red List, the species was believed to be extinct because no previous-read more-https://uk.news.yahoo.com/massive-rat-believed-extinct-rediscovered-near-machu-picchu-065532877.html#BrnQmx6
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