Scientists have discovered five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs from South East Asia.
The two newly discovered species – Hylomys vorax and Hylomys macarong – were discovered in the collections of the Smithsonian and Drexel University in Philadelphia, where they had remained in drawers for several decades.
The researchers gathered enough genetic material from the three other species, which were previously categorised as subspecies, to reveal that they were biologically distinct.
Each different Hylomys species appears to live in a slightly different habitat – some in the lowland forests and some at higher altitudes.
As well as studying the animals in the wild, the researchers examined specimens from a total of 14 different natural history collections across Asia, Europe and the US.
The animals belong to a group of hedgehogs called Hylomys, all of which live in South East Asia. There were previously only two known species, and this discovery brings the tally to seven. They are small, long-nosed mammals and, while they are members of the same family as the more familiar hedgehog, are furry rather than spiny.
To the non-expert eye, the diminutive mammals look alike, but the team found key differences in their genetic codes, and differences in their physical shape – particularly their heads and teeth, reports the BBC.
One of the lead researchers of the study, Dr Melissa Hawkins, from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (SMNH), told BBC News that the discovery showed the „amazing” diversity of life on our planet still to be revealed.
„Finding animals like these could bring some attention to [rainforest] ecosystems that are very threatened”, she said.
