Scientists have identified a species of rat on the Solomon Islands that has been long known to exist by locals but never studied until recently. The species, the Vangunu giant rat (Uromys vika), is already considered critically endangered:
Locals living on the island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands sing songs about vika, a giant, tree-dwelling rat that can crack open coconuts with its teeth. But scientists had never seen it.
Tyrone Lavery, a conservation ecologist at The University of Queensland and The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, searched for this rat for years. But the closest he got was a mysterious dropping found on the forest floor that contained the hair of some unidentified species of rodent.
Now the Vanganu Giant Rat is no longer legend, but scientific fact. Hikuna Judge, a ranger at the Zaira Resource Management Area on the island, found an injured specimen scampering away from a felled tree. He and Dr. Lavery reported [open, DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx116] [DX] this new species, Uromys vika, in the Journal of Mammalogy on Wednesday. It's the first new rat species discovered on the islands in about 80 years.
Last year, New York City residents reported more than 17,000 rat sightings, but they can breathe a sigh of relief none were the giant rat of Vangunu. Uromys vika can weigh more than two pounds and stretch up to a foot and a half from nose to tail. Its ears are small, and its feet are wide, to help it maneuver among the branches in the forest canopy where it lives. The rat's smooth tail is particularly special, covered in tiny scales surrounded by large areas of flesh. Think opossum, or squirrel, but more rat, and very, very, rare.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Snotnose on Monday October 02 2017, @08:51PM (4 children)
Trumpus Cheetous
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @12:48AM (3 children)
In that case, time to buy one of those Yuuuuge ACME mouse traps
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday October 03 2017, @02:36PM (2 children)
Hmmmm. I think if we lead a trail of golf balls to the trigger with a tee on top and a shiny new set of Callaway clubs we can get him.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @04:20PM (1 child)
He's used to shiny, gotta make it solid gold.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday October 03 2017, @05:04PM
Okay. New plan. We put a small putting green on the trigger and bait it with this: https://www.themilliardaire.co/shopping/the-goldenputter-barth-sons-8875/ [themilliardaire.co]