New species of shrew opossum found in remote Ecuador

Researchers in the northern Andes believe they have discovered a new species of shrew opossum in Sangay National Park in a remote part of Ecuador, according to a new article in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Only four species of shrew opossum were known to exist in the region, but researchers discovered Caenolestes sangay on the eastern slopes of the Andes in an area disrupted by construction of a highway.

By analyzing DNA and more than a dozen other variables, biologists determined that, though the C. sangay closely resembled another of the species, there were significant differences. Among those were body size, eye opening and a gap between two teeth.

@julie_cart