If there is one trait that defines rodents, it is precisely that they have teeth. Not in vain its name comes from the Latin rodere , which means "to gnaw", and refers to the use that these mammals give to their incisors when eating. Now, Australian and Canadian scientists have discovered on the island of Sulawesi (Indonesia) a very peculiar new species of rat that lacks teeth. They have named it Paucidentomys vermidax and, as revealed in the latest edition of the Biology Letters magazine, the mammal illustrates how rodents, which throughout the world are characterized by using their incisors as chisels, to bite and chew, were forced to evolve to be able to survive in Sulawesi. Specifically, Paucidentomys vermidax is a rat that eats only worms and earthworms , which are very abundant in its ecological niche. In fact, vermidax means "worm eater."
? Now that we are facing a global crisis of biodiversity loss, this new species reminds us that we can still discover new species in wild habitats ,? said Kewin Rowe, scientist and mammal expert at the Victoria Museum of Australia.
