Living in the Age of Mammal Discovery

New Mammal Discoveries

Clouded Leopard
This striking clouded leopard lives on the island of Borneo. Scientists once thought the cats were the same as clouded leopards on the Asian mainland, but in 2007, researchers studying its DNA discovered the island cat is an entirely new species, which diverged from its mainland cousin around 1.4 million years ago. The size of a small panther, the spotted cat is Borneo's biggest predator. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are probably 5,000 to 11,000 left in the island's rain forests. WWF conservationists are fighting to protect the forests from logging, and in turn fighting to protect this beautiful big cat.

Alain Compost, WWF-Canon

Giant Rat
New York City's sewer rats have nothing on this guy. At more than 3 pounds, the giant rat of New Guinea, Indonesia, is about five times the size of the typical city rodent. Scientists announced the discovery in 2007, after an expedition to the remote, jungled Foja Mountains of western New Guinea.


Bruce Beehler, Conservation International / AP

Laotian Rock Rat<
Would you believe that scientists first came across this cute little critter at an Asian food market? The species belongs to a group of animals thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago! The rock rat is one of 1,000 new species discovered between 1997 and 2008 in the Greater Mekong Region (which comprises southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Protecting the species-rich Greater Mekong region is one of WWF's top conservation priorities.

David Redfield, WWF

Macaque Monkey
When the Arunachal macaque was discovered in the Himalayas in 2005, it was the first new monkey found anywhere on the planet in more than 100 years. It was one of 353 new species identified in the last decade in the Eastern Himalayas – another biodiversity hotspot that WWF is working to conserve. Global warming is a potential threat to this mountain-dwelling monkey, WWF conservationists warn.

Anindya Sinha, WWF Nepal

Pygmy Possum
This adorable pygmy possum was discovered in New Guinea's remote Foja Mountains. Scientists have described the remote jungle as a "Lost World." The region is largely uninhabited by humans, and is teeming with dozens, if not hundreds, of never-before-described species, scientists say. This itty-bitty possum -- about the size of a hamster -- is thought to be one of the world's littlest marsupials (animals that carry their young in pouches, kangaroo-style).

Bruce Beehler, Conservation International / AP

Comoros Bat
This fuzzy thumb-sized bat was discovered by Swiss scientists working in the Comoros Island archipelago, off the south-east coast of Africa. The tiny flier weighs a mere 0.17 ounces, but it's still more than twice as heavy as the world's smallest, the bug-sized bumblebee bat.

Manuel Ruedi, Museum de Geneve

White Squirrel
Nope, it's not an albino. This squirrel is naturally pale. The white squirrel lives only on one small island in the Philippines. Locals had long been familiar with the squirrel, but no outsiders or scientists laid eyes on it until 2008. The white squirrel's habitat is small and degraded, and conservationists say the newly discovered creature is in danger of extinction.


Pierre Fidenci, Endangered Species International

Yellow Bat
This little blond bat, native to Mexico and Central America, weighs less than a teaspoon full of water. After discovering the bat, Purdue University scientists put its naming rights up for auction in 2008. The plan to use the money from the auction to properly study the bat and preserve the natural area where it was found.

Professor John Bickham, Purdue University / AP

Wooly Bat
The wooly bat was first discovered in Myanmar in 2004. Since then, scientists have spotted the woolly-bully critter in a range of countries including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Like the Laotian rock rat, the wooly bat is one of 1,000 new species discovered over the last decade in the Greater Mekong Region, which WWF is working hard to conserve.


Pipat Soisook, WWF Greater Mekong

Fuzzy Mouse
This adorably fuzzy mouse was discovered high in Andes Mountains of Peru. Conservation International scientists trekked to Peru's Cordillera Blanca (White Range) between 2005 and 2008, where they also discovered two new beetles and a rare plant – but this big-eared, fuzzy creature was undoubtedly their cutest discovery.

ECOAN