After 113 Years, Red-Crested Tree Rat Rediscovered in Sierra Nevadas

were do i buy fur jacket made out of this furball

They found Donald Chump's relatives! I can see the strong resemblance.

We have gone 113 yrs with out knowing this creature exist why should it make news now! There are more pressing issue on Americas agenda!

how cute!! his little tail is sooo aww

:) Nice

...yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...there is a plan, my beautiful mate...

Cutie!

Ah! It's a rat, KILL IT!!!! =) lol... just kidding, good to see the little critter isn't extinct. Nature has an amazing way of hiding things in danger. Unfortunately there's way to many people out there who kill first and poke with sticks later... hope these guys don't run into anyone like that. ;)

That goes along with the rat discoverd in alaske by grampy mccain.

Thank you for the smile.

Wonderful to hear some good news once in awhile.

Amazing. With thousands of species disappearing forever..... it's good news to hear that one didn't go extinct.

Wired Science...

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/red-crested-tree-rat/

Red-Crested Tree Rat Reappears After 113 Years

By Alice Vincent, Wired UK

A red-crested tree rat, a rodent about the size of a guinea pig, has been sighted for the first time in decades. The relatively unknown creature made a casual reappearance in a Colombian nature reserve after over a century, and even stayed around for a photo shoot.

Volunteers at the El Dorado Nature Reserve in the Sierra Nevada were overjoyed to receive an evening visit from the red-crested tree rat. The last recorded sighting was in 1898, when two of the critters were found and studied, and were the subsequent source of all information about the rat, until now.

Spotted by two volunteers working at the reserve, the rat’s reappearance has been credited to the work being done by Fundacion ProAves, a conservation organization founded in 1998 to save endangered species in Colombia. The charity buys forested properties that are on the brink of being destroyed, despite being known to be important for endangered wildlife, and monitors a number of rare species. It’s pretty handy, therefore, that the red-crested tree rat chose this reserve, founded in 2005, to say hello.

Despite its miraculous appearance, the rat, also known as the red-crested soft-furred spiny-rat, seemed fairly relaxed about making history. Lizzie Noble, a volunteer from Britain, had been at the reserve for just a month when she witnessed the creature: “He just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting and seemed totally unperturbed by all the excitement he was causing. We are absolutely delighted to have rediscovered such a wonderful creature…. Clearly the El Dorado Reserve has many more exciting discoveries waiting,” she said in a ProAves press release.

The red-crested tree rat is likely eligible for listing as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List of Threatened Species” criteria.

While it’s a shame he didn’t bring a few buddies with him, it’s still undoubtedly a step up from existing solely as a species “that was only talked about in science journals”, as George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy, puts it.

Source: Wired.co.uk

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11142/1148249-140.stm

Rediscovering the red-crested tree rat

Sunday, May 22, 2011
By Scott Shalaway

It hardly seems possible that in 2011 new species of vertebrates continue to be discovered. Or rediscovered. But every year, one or two reports of an unknown or forgotten bird or frog appear, usually from the tropics.

So I shouldn't have been surprised when I learned that at 9:30 p.m. May 4, at the 2,000-acre El Dorado Nature Reserve in northern Colombia, a guinea-pig-sized rodent not seen since 1898 showed up at an eco-lodge there. The red-crested tree rat stayed for almost two hours while two research volunteers took the first photos ever of a creature the world thought was extinct.

The reserve was established in 2005 by Fundación ProAves, Colombia's foremost bird conservation organization, in cooperation with the American Bird Conservancy, World Land Trust-U.S., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fundación Loro Parque and Conservation International.

A news release from the American Bird Conservancy reported on Tuesday that the nocturnal rodent was rediscovered by Lizzie Noble and Simon McKeown, volunteer researchers with ProAves who were monitoring endangered amphibians.

The red-crested tree rat, "just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting," said Noble, a ProAves volunteer from England, in a written statement that included comments from several people associated with the project. Noble had been on site for just a month.

"The El Dorado Nature Reserve represents the ultimate Noah's Ark, a living treasure trove like no other on earth," said Paul Salaman, the scientist from the World Land Trust-U.S. who confirmed the identity of the species.

A major concern, however, is that much of the tree rat's potential remaining range is overrun with feral domestic cats that prey on native fauna.

"Had we not worked with our partners to establish this reserve, it is reasonable to believe this species would remain something that was only talked about in science journals," said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy.

"We are so proud that our El Dorado Nature Reserve has provided safe haven for this enigmatic little guy to survive. The discovery illustrates why we buy forested properties known to be important for endangered wildlife," said Lina Daza, executive director of ProAves.
Scott Shalaway is a biologist and author. His other weekly Post-Gazette column, "Wildlife," runs Sundays on the outdoors page in Sports. He can be reached at sshalaway@aol.com or RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033.

First published on May 22, 2011 at 12:00 am

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11142/1148249-140.stm#ixzz1N4IRtp3r