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Olinguito

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Olinguito
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Bassaricyon
Species:
B. neblina
Binomial name
Bassaricyon neblina
Helgen, Pinto, Kays, Helgen, Tsuchiya, Quinn, Wilson & Maldonado, 2013[2]

Theolinguito/oʊlɪŋˈɡiːtoʊ/[3](Bassaricyon neblina) is amammalof theraccoonfamilyProcyonidaethat lives inmontane forestsin theAndesof westernColombiaandEcuador.It was classified as belonging to a newspeciesin 2013. The specific nameneblinais Spanish for fog or mist, referring to the cloud forest habitat of the olinguito.[2]

On 22 May 2014, theInternational Institute for Species Explorationdeclared the olinguito as one of the "Top 10 New Species of 2014" among species discovered in 2013. It is the first newcarnivoranmammal described in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.[4][5]

Description[edit]

The olinguito is distinct from the other species within thegenus,popularly known as "olingos",and also from thekinkajou(kinkajous resemble olingos, but are not closely related).[2][6]Its average weight is 900 grams (2 lb), making it the smallestprocyonid.[3][7][8]The animal is anomnivorousfrugivore[9]that eats mainlyfruits(such asfigs), but alsoinsectsandnectar;this diet results in feces the size of smallblueberries.[8][10]The olinguito is thought to be solitary,nocturnal[9]: 29:30 and moderately reclusive. Olinguitos appear to be strictlyarboreal.[2][9]They have a single pair ofmammae,and probably produce a single offspring at a time.[2][8][9]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Specimensof the species have been identified from the Andeancloud foreststretching from westernColombiatoEcuador,at elevations of 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft), which is the highest known range of any member of the genusBassaricyon.[8][11][12]Its discovery was confirmed in the wild[2][7]and announced on 15 August 2013.[7][9]The species is not considered to be immediately at risk,[7]but it is estimated that over 40 percent of the animal's potentialrangehas beendeforested.[7][10]

Discovery[edit]

Bassaricyon neblina,illustrated by Nancy Halliday, 2013

Its discovery was announced on 15 August 2013 by Kristofer Helgen, thecuratorof mammals at theSmithsonian National Museum of Natural History,olingo expert Roland Kays of theNorth Carolina Museum of Natural Sciencesand collaborators.[7][9][11][13][14]Helgen discovered specimens of the species in storage atThe Field MuseuminChicagoand usedDNAtesting to confirm a new species.[8]In 1923 a small pool of olinguitos were collected by researchers in Ecuador. However, they were misidentified by the researchers who mistook them for their relative, the kinkajou as the distinct species share common characteristics.

The researchers who identified the species were unable to discover any local names specific to it.[9]

The discovery was the first identification of a new mammalspeciesof theorderCarnivora[note 1][9]in theAmericasin 35 years.[7][9]Olinguitos were regularly seen and even publicly exhibited decades before they were recognized as members of a new species. The animal had previously been confused with itstaxonomiccousins, theolingos.One such example was Ringerl, an olinguito who lived in theNational Zooin Washington, D.C., for a year and also toured many other zoos.[9][15]Researchers unsuccessfully tried tobreedher with olingos, not realizing she was a different species.[9]Ringerl died in 1976 at theBronx Zoo.[3][16]

Taxonomic evaluation[edit]

Distribution of sampledBassaricyon neblinasubspecies

The olinguito is smaller than the other species in the genusBassaricyon.[7]Its body (head torump) is approximately 355 mm (14.0 in) long, and its tail 335–424 mm (13.2–16.7 in) long.[2]It is also muchfurrierand has a shorter tail and smaller ears than others that share its genus.[15]The olinguito is found in the northernAndesataltitudesbetween 1,500 and 2,750 metres (4,920 and 9,020 ft)[2]above sea level, which is much higher than thehabitatsfor other olingos.[10]

Based onmorphologicaldistinctions, four olinguitosubspecieshave been described: thenominateBassaricyon neblina neblina,andB. n. osborni,B. n. hershkovitzi,andB. n. ruber.[2]Each of these subspecies, though, were found to have adental formulacharacteristic of other members of the familyProcyonidae.[17]

Dentition
3.1.4.2
3.1.4.2

Comparison ofDNAfrom two olinguito subspecies to other olingo and related species was carried out on the basis ofgenetic dissimilarityderived fromKimura modelingof differences inbase-paircomposition ofmitochondrialcytochrome b.The genetic divergence between olinguitos and other olingos makes olinguitos abasalsister lineageto the rest of the genus, and is equivalent to differences between species which have been assigned to separatesubgeneraorgenera.[2]This split apparently occurred about 3.5 million years ago, suggesting that the earliest diversification of the genus took place in northwestern South America shortly after the ancestors of olingos first invaded the continent from Central America as part of theGreat American Interchange.[2]

Conservation[edit]

The olinguito may be at risk in the future due todeforestationandurbanization( "The researchers reporting its discovery estimated that 42% of suitable historic olinguito habitat had already been converted toagricultureor urban areas and an additional 21% remained in natural but largelyunforestedconditions…” ). Since the natural habitat of the olinguito is at higher elevations, this means that its "cloud forest habitat"definitely needs to be protected in order to optimize this species'probabilityofsurvival.As of now, no strict efforts are known to be in place in order to reducehabitat destruction.[18]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^The olinguito isomnivorous:not allcarnivoranspecies arecarnivores.(Further explanation may be found in the linked articles, includingcarnivoran diet specializations.)

References[edit]

  1. ^Helgen, K.; Kays, R.; Pinto, C.; Schipper, J.; González-Maya, J.F. (2020)."Bassaricyon neblina".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2020:e.T48637280A166523067.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637280A166523067.en.Retrieved19 November2021.
  2. ^abcdefghijkHelgen, Kristofer M.; Pinto, C. Miguel; Kays, Roland; Helgen, Lauren E.; Tsuchiya, Mirian T.N.; Quinn, Aleta; Wilson, Don E.; Maldonado, Jesús E. (15 August 2013)."Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito ".ZooKeys(324): 1–83.Bibcode:2013ZooK..324....1H.doi:10.3897/zookeys.324.5827.PMC3760134.PMID24003317.Retrieved22 January2015.
  3. ^abcBorenstein, Seth (15 August 2013)."Adorable new mammal species found 'in plain sight'".ABC News.Archived fromthe originalon 16 August 2013.Retrieved15 August2013.
  4. ^"Clean Room Microbes: Alien Invaders? Top 10 New Species of 2014".State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2014.Retrieved23 May2014.
  5. ^"Top 10 New Species of 2013 Announced".Sci-News.22 May 2014.Retrieved23 May2014.
  6. ^Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Gompper, Matthew E.; Eizirik, Eduardo; Ho, Cheuk-Chung; Linden, Leif; Maldonado, Jesus E.; Wayne, Robert K. (2007). "Phylogeny of the Procyonidae (Mammalia: Carnivora): Molecules, morphology and the Great American Interchange".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.43(3): 1076–1095.CiteSeerX10.1.1.495.2618.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.003.PMID17174109.
  7. ^abcdefghStromberg, Joseph (15 August 2013)."For the first time in 35 years, a new carnivorous mammal species is discovered in the American continents".Smithsonian Magazine.Retrieved15 August2013.
  8. ^abcdeO'Brien, Jane (15 August 2013)."Olinguito: 'Overlooked' mammal carnivore is major discovery".BBC News.Retrieved15 August2013.
  9. ^abcdefghijkKays, Roland (main speaker) (15 August 2013).Olinguitos(Press conference: video livestream). North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Archived fromthe originalon 8 May 2014.Retrieved15 August2013.
  10. ^abcLandau, Elizabeth (15 August 2013)."New cute furry mammal species discovered".CNN.Retrieved15 August2013.
  11. ^abKim, Meeri (16 August 2013)."Smithsonian unearths a new species of mammal: The olinguito".Washington Post.Retrieved16 August2013.
  12. ^"New mammal discovered in Andean cloud forest".CBC News.15 August 2013.
  13. ^Morgan, Debra; Owens, Gerald; Lynn, Tara (15 August 2013). Basiouny, Angie (ed.)."New animal discovered in Andes".WRAL.Retrieved16 August2013.
  14. ^"A new mammal. Peekaboo".The Economist.17 August 2013.Retrieved15 August2013.
  15. ^abSample, Ian (15 August 2013)."Carnivore 'teddy bear' emerges from the mists of Ecuador".Guardian.
  16. ^Elizabeth Landau (15 August 2013)."Olinguito the newest rare mammal species discovery".CNN.Retrieved16 November2020.
  17. ^Russell, James (1984).The Encyclopedia of Mammals(Macdonald, D. ed.). New York: Facts on File. pp.98–99.ISBN978-0-87196-871-5.
  18. ^Shapiro, Leo (2013)."Bassaricyon neblina".Encyclopedia of Life.Retrieved7 December2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olinguito&oldid=1233200787"