Eric Shackle Writes: Olinguito
Ever hear of olinguitos? Eric Shackle tells if a mistaken discovery.
“A new species of mammals has been found,” the world’s news services trumpeted the other day. But it was not true – merely a mistaken reference to an earlier story.
The animal being discussed was the olinguito, a small furry creature known for centuries to inhabit the rain forests in the South American countries Columbia and Peru. It looks like a cross between a domestic cat and a bear, and reminds us of Australia’s cuddly koala.
There are zoos in Cali, Columbia, and in Quito, Peru, but we don’t know if they have any olinguitos.
Video:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/pictures/130816-olinguito-new-species-south-america-animals-science/
See also http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/adorable-new-mammal-species-discovered-called-olinguito-but-one-once-went-undetected-at-zoo/story-fn5fsgyc-1226698113751
