New Rodent Species Found 293
IZ Reloaded writes "A new species of rodent has been discovered by World Conservation Society researcher Dr. Robert Timmins. He found this creature in a hunter's market in Central Laos. The creature known as Kha-Nyou to the locals is so unique it represents an entire new family of wildlife. Kha-Nyou diverged from other rodents millions of years ago."
Oh.. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Oh.. (Score:3, Funny)
David Letterman (Score:3, Funny)
Mark
Letterman already? (Score:2, Funny)
The real question then, for this species: (Score:2, Funny)
Evolved? (Score:3, Funny)
There's already an answer to that... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Evolved? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Nothing dramatic, but we haven't been keeping track for that long.
Re:Evolved? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Funny, last I heard "speciation" was the big "macroevolution" barrier. Now it's something else -- something that you don't even define.
This is why creationists never "lose". They keep redefining terms whenever they're shown to be wrong on a front. Oh, and frequently when shown to be wrong on something, they just keep repeating the same erroneous information be it claims that certain observed things have not been observed or dishonestly quoti
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
The problem with attempting to do research is that it makes the goalposts harder to move. Not that they won't try!
Creationists are Liars (Score:2)
Scum.
From post 12529332:
An example of a new species was offered.
Now, from post 12529710:
You are all pathetic lying scum who can't even be bothered to learn the basics of biology. Which is it? Is speciation micro or macro? Here's a thought: Why don't you define a quan
Be a bit more fair (Score:2)
The point is nearly correct. We've only observed a very few species being created, and most of those would only be known to be new species by a biologist who was tracking them. (And r
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Will this satisfy you for macro-evolution? Now I'll grant that as far as I know there have been no follow-up studi
Re:Evolved? (Score:5, Insightful)
Religion: God created every living thing in its current form in six days.
Science: Actually, the Earth is a whole lot older than any literal reading of the Book of Genesis can account for, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, populations of living things change all the time, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, new species do arise from existing species, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, humans aren't all that different from other animals, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Man, what a great and loving parent.
Incidentally, on the subject of Genesis, which of the two contradictory creation stories would be the correct one?
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
Sure, it's pretty straightforward.
In genesis chapter 1 the animals were created, then man and woman were created simultaneously.
In genesis chapter 2 Adam was created first, then the animals, then Eve was made from Adam's rib
But y'know what? That page you just linked to (in which, incidentally, all I see is a whole pile of circular reasoning) claims that everything in the bible is literally true and accurate, which makes the Genesis pr
Re:Evolved? (Score:2)
When it says "the Earth is flat, immobile, and mounted on pillars", what it *actually* means is that "it's round, spins on it's axis in space and around the sun"
Silly me.
Oh. and when it says "Jesus died on the cross for all our sins and was resurrected 3 days later" What it actually means is "you can get great value and low low prices all year round at Wal-Mart"
Huzzah for interpretation. Whereever would we be without
Re:Actually, (Score:4, Funny)
WWF (Score:3, Funny)
Re:WWF (Score:2)
I don't know how other countries handle it (both are international organizations), but two organizations can legally share the same abbreviation in the US, it doesn't matter who was "there" first. Two organizations can have the same abbreviation trademarked too, they just can't be in the same categories, and there are hundreds of categories to choose from, and I think the design must be different, the logo designs were hardly "confusingly similar".
But both organizati
Re:WWF (Score:2)
There's a happy medium somewhere... Haven't you ever watched Animal Face Off [discovery.com] on the Discovery Channel?
Solomon Chang
Re:WWF (Score:2)
Clarification (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Clarification (Score:3, Funny)
Some of them eat chinese "food" from strip malls, for dog's sake...
RTFA (Score:4, Insightful)
The articles really short. It took me about 30 seconds to read.
Another A to R (Score:2)
Re:RTFA (Score:2)
To me the article clearly claimed that it was a new family, not just a new species. See, in particular, the quote at the bottom.
Yes, New Family/Genus/Species, total odd-ball (Score:5, Informative)
An article predating this discovery lists 29 Families of Rodentia [uvm.edu]. The Old-World Hystricognathi include old-world porcupines, mole rats, cane rats, and Dassie rats; the New World families are a lot broader.
"Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist!
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
that's what they taught you in school? we got to learn the real version where King Phillip Calls Out For Great Se... (you can figure the last character)
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
Re:Clarification (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
She was an odd woman
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
Re:Clarification (Score:2)
From TFA (Score:5, Funny)
Found along side the slender faced rodent was four turtles, with comic head bands. Unfortunatly, the rats previous owner, a martial arts expert, was found killed next to the animals...
Re:From TFA (Score:2)
I don't understand... (Score:3, Insightful)
How could it be discovered if it's already known to someone?
Re:I don't understand... (Score:3, Insightful)
Discovered doesn't mean "first discovered". It means something more like "finally discovered by a white human male with either a degree or a lot of money".
It's like Art... (Score:2)
In this case, the rodent in question wasn't discovered until those who care about such things proclaim it discovered.
In other news, everything else is just as it was before, just a day older, whether you knew it or not. Carry on.
Re:I don't understand... (Score:2, Interesting)
Many years ago I saw the following dialog in a cartoon:
Teacher: "Who discovered the Niagara Falls?"
Little Kid: "The people who lived there."
I think the sequence ends with the little kid wearing dunce's hat.
Re:I don't understand... (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh, please. The point is that it's been placed into the scientific classification scheme for the first time, and now it can be related to the rest of scientific knowledge about mammals.
The planet Uranus is visible to the naked eye. I'm sure countless prehistoric people saw it at one time or another. Ancient people also classified stars and planets diff
Re:I don't understand... (Score:2)
Silliness aside, we might say that this scientist discovered the Kha-Nyou independently, in much the same way that the Columbus discovered America after that Viking who's name I forget, (possibly China), and the Native Americans.
Re:I don't understand... (Score:2)
You fail at geography.
any news on the new human species (Score:3, Funny)
No replacement for Nutria (Score:5, Interesting)
Since the Kha-Nyou only have one pup at a time there's no hope they can displace Louisiana's Nutria rat problem [southerner.net]. Interesting that the Kha-Nyou are vegetarian rats; that's certainly an oddity. Rodents tend to eat pretty much everything (Cat5 cables, cardboard, styrofoam, cafeteria food).
Nutria rats are a serious ecological problem around here (rural Louisiana). If you're bored on the weekend you can get $4 a tail.
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:2)
I believe the fellow quoted in the article is mistaken- these rodents are vegans.
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:2)
Not all rodents are omnivourus, not even most. Although I will back you up on the fact that certain rodents will eat cat5. One of our rehab squirrels had quite the taste for it. (and floppies, and just about anything that was under my desk)
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:3, Funny)
Whoa! I won't even eat cafeteria food!
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:2)
"Guinea pig" (Score:2)
Re:No replacement for Nutria (Score:2)
"Discovered"? (Score:3, Insightful)
No problem! (Score:2)
What?! They want to conserve this species? Oh.
Nevermind.
Good News for O'Reilly (Score:5, Funny)
Why humans rule... (Score:4, Funny)
"What do you know about this rodent?"
"Very little, we don't yet know where it diverged from modern rodentia. It is, however, *excellent* over rice."
Laos ? (Score:2)
Re:Laos ? (Score:2)
Kha-Nyou translation (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Kha-Nyou translation (Score:2)
My wife is Thai, so I know a little about what that part of the planet eats. I've been known to eat frog, turtle, alligator and snake on occasion, and something like this isn't too shocking.
NY Times article (Score:2, Interesting)
The NY Times article about this.
Local farmers and hunters trapped or snared the animals, which they also referred to as rock rats, slaughtered them and took them to market
A species that no western scientist has ever seen, and the locals are trying as hard as they can to make them extinct. It seems to be a common theme in history. Is this the future of mankind on earth?
ROUS's? (Score:5, Funny)
Who discovered? (Score:2, Insightful)
Headline should read: "Pompous university jerk buys what working class already found."
MOD PARENTS DOWN! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Who discovered? (Score:5, Insightful)
Kinda like someone discovering a continent where there's already living shitloads of people yeah? (and most likely was 'discovered' by vikings earlier anyways)
Either way, anti-intellectualism is bad okay? There is a difference between a small bunch of locals knowing about something and it being part of the general biological knowledge. Now, the knowledge will be part of what people study, and will be preserved.
I mean, how much of what you know and learn do you think you were the first to find out? Learning is next to always about learning from somebody (often by proxy though), and what markes out a discovery is the first person to discover the signifance of the knowledge.
Re:Who discovered? (Score:2)
The rodent in itself isn't much of a discovery. But the fact that it needs to be classified in such a specific way certainly is, as I presume that the locals didn't know this for a fact. They are - in
Re:Who discovered? (Score:2)
for a second.... (Score:2, Funny)
What a load of hype (Score:2, Funny)
Lawyers, people! (Score:2, Funny)
It's Friday night in California! The weather's beautiful! Get in front of your terminals and start making those lawyer jokes. Slashdot was built for my entertainment, and you're not coming through.
OK, just because it's on for the last time (Score:2, Funny)
"Discovered"? (Score:2)
How exactly does this guy get credit for discovering a species when the locals have obviously known about it for long enough to give it a name? Shouldn't they be given the credit for "discovering" it?
Re:"Discovered"? (Score:2)
He identified the animal, and classified it according to the scientific standarts. Before it was just a furball that looked like a rat, it could be a marsupial, monotremae, rodent, mustelidae, or any other. But now we know that is a rodent, and member of an entirely new family.
What a cutie... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Bah! (Score:2)
Doubt It (Score:2)
It looks like a rat (Score:2)
Re:yawn (Score:3, Funny)
No, no. This one is about Drudge.
Re:Amazing... (Score:2)
Re:Amazing... (Score:3, Interesting)
We're exploring the stars? Unless you mean Janet Jackson; no, we're a long, long way from doing that. And do you really think a team of astronomers would be effective at seaching through Lao markets for new rodents?
Re:It's not new, just new to these guys. (Score:2, Insightful)
KFG
...and everyone else in the world (Score:2)
If they had, they surely would have gotten credit for it. Further, I'm sure that any taxonomist from the East would have gotten the credit had they discovered it.
Further, how do you expect the scientists to "ask around?" Randomly enter countries and say "hey, do you have any species that are unlike any o
Re:They naed it Darlus McBridus (Score:2)
Yeah. The one at the 'hunters market' was the last female. Fur traders are offering 10 beads, 2 pocket mirrors, and a snickers bar for the last male. Paris Hilton wants a new case for her ipod.
billy - anyone seen any baby seals?
Re:can you sink any lower? (Score:5, Insightful)
North American rodents quite commonly found on someone's dinner table include, porcupine, squirrel, woodchuck, prarie dog, marmot, and yes, beaver (he, he!)
Just because you can't find it wrapped in plastic and the Grand Union or Piggly Wiggly don't mean it ain't damn good eatin'.
I suppose you're going to get really weirded out when I mention that there are huge swaths of the US where a good cicada "hatch" is considered a bit of a tasty holiday time.
KFG
Re:can you sink any lower? (Score:5, Insightful)
Unless you've actually tried rodent meat, you really have no place judging people for eating it. What would you do if a Hindu person popped in here and started berating Americans for eating beef and using cow products? At least in their case it's a religious issue.
Re:can you sink any lower? (Score:2)
Re:china (Score:2, Funny)
Re:china (Score:2)
You mean there are people north of North (Score:2)
You may have something there, I'd suggest you publish!
Re:discoveries, eh? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:rat ... (Score:2, Funny)
who gives a rat's ass?
Re:Discovered? (Score:2)
I can imagine something like this would be very exciting, considering that nearly all mammals, rodents and other large creatures are already filed away. Insects, bacteria, and deep sea life are still being discovered, but something this large is very unusual.
Re:So what does it taste like? (Score:2)