| |
The Cypriot mouse, named Mus cypriacus, has a larger head, ears, eyes and teeth than previously known examples of mice, and was confirmed as a new species by genetic tests.
It was discovered by Thomas Cucchi, a French scientist at the University of Durham, northern England, who came across Mus cypriacus while searching for mouse teeth from the Stone Age on the Mediterranean island.
"New mammal species are mainly discovered in hotspots of biodiversity like South East Asia and it was generally believed that every species of mammal in Europe had been identified," Cucchi was quoted by The Times as saying.
"This is why the discovery of a new species of mouse on Cyprus was so unexpected and exciting."
Cucchi, whose findings are to appear in the journal Zootaxa, says the Cypriot mouse appears to predates the arrival of humans on the island.
No comments:
Post a Comment