93 years ago, a scientist caught a mouse in a stream in Ethiopia; stood out as the most adapted to live in the water; it even had a waterproof coat and long, wide legs. This specimen, which is in the Field Museum in Chicago, is the only one of its kind that science has and scientists believe it may be extinct. However, a new study has discovered the closest cousins of this semi-aquatic mouse, including two new species previously unknown.
The study looked at two genera of mice, Nilopegamys (the Chicago one) and Colomys (a genus found throughout the Congo Basin). The latter also features elongated legs that are suitable for wading in shallow streams. And for a small rodent, it has a surprisingly large brain that allows it to process the sensory overload experienced when fishing with its sensitive whiskers in plain water.
Researchers carried out DNA analysis after several expeditions to collect data on these animals in the wild, which revealed two new species within the Colomys genus, C. lumumbai and C. wologiz i, named after the Congolese independence leader Patrice. Lumumba and the Wologizi Mountains of Liberia, respectively.
The researchers were even able to extract some DNA from the dried tissues of the 93-year-old Nilopegamys sample to compare with their new data, confirming that Nilopegamys is indeed a sister genus to Colomys , its closest relative.
“These two groups of mice have been confused for a century,” explains Julian Kerbis Peterhans, a Field Museum researcher and study co-author. “They are some of the rarest animals in the world, so it is exciting to finally discover their family tree.”
Referencia: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society / Field Museum
