Species you've never heard of before.

Sun Wukong said:
The Highland Mangabey was actually "new" to most people ~three-four years ago;
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The link is only two years old. Anyway thanks very much for your constructive comment


Moonrats were mentioned in Gerald Durrell's books and he's been dead for years
 
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@Pygathrix: The species was discovered in 2003/2004, but the data was officially published and the discovery made widely public in 2005; its status as a genus on its own was confirmed later.

The gymnures/ moon rats as a subfamily of the Insectivora have been officially described in the 1840s, some specimen even earlier; therefore, Durrell was mentioning already established species.
What is remarkable though (and that's why I mentioned the moon rats in general and especially Echinosorex gymnura) is that these animals (that are considered by some as "living fossils") are still pretty unknown in the western countries; I don't think I have seen one kept in any zoo at all.
 
oh, but I won't be back in Cambodia for several years. Will have to try my luck in Sumatra next year instead (hopefully...)
 
Took me long enough to find it, but here it is:

Sungrebe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very little is known about it, apparantly...

Quote:
Equally extraordinary, and less known, are the details of the world's only known marsupial bird. "What," you cry in alarm! "This really is straining credulity!" Ahh, but truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction. Deep in the jungles of Central and South Am erica dwells a curious bird known as the Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica) 6. In 1833 the German ornithologist M. A. Wied 7 reported that this bird carried its young about in pouches under its wings. Subsequent generations of ornithologists viewed this report with, to say the least, 'skepticism.' However in 1969 Mexican ornithologist Miguel Alvarez del Toro 8 spent a summer in Chiapas observing a nesting pair of Sungrebes and stunned the ornithological world when he discovered that almost immediately after hatching the male places each of the two chicks in pouches under his wings and forthwith departs.

What happens subsequently is unknown but presumably the male cares for and feeds these naked, altricial chicks until they are ready to fend for themselves, all the while transporting them safely beneath his wings. Voila! Sitting duck problem at least fifty percent solved! By the way, there are two other species of Sungrebes, the Southeast-Asian, Masked Finfoot (H. personata) and the African Finfoot (Podica senagalensis). To the best of my knowledge no one has ever observed the breeding behaviour of these birds. Any takers? Could be some interesting discoveries waiting to be made!
Found on this site, which is very interesting indeed:
Queer Birds

Cool huh?

Something about the breeding of the Masked finfoot :
http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Neumann-MaskedFinfoot.pdf
 
Not sure if this counts since it’s a fairly recent discovery, but the spider-tailed horned viper was new to me. Thanks Seven Worlds One Planet.
 
Luke da Zoo nerd said:
I am getting Seven worlds one planet pre-ordered on amazon! Coming in march! :)
Cannot wait to see it!
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Would highly recommend. It's got a great variety of species with many that aren't featured in the average nature documentary. All narrated by the legendary David Attenborough of course.
 
Crotalus said:
Would highly recommend. It's got a great variety of species with many that aren't featured in the average nature documentary. All narrated by the legendary David Attenborough of course.
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Yes! I know. I have been hyped up since October! (Personally wrote a fan letter do Sir David Myself!):). EDIT:I don't know about you but my personal favorite BBC earth documentary is Blue planets 1&2. Such amazing camerawork! And the deep sea episodes for both are absolutely Stunning. David Attenborough can calm down anyone, even when he is talking about a siphonophore. (The cloning feature of the siphonophore is fantastic!).
 
I never new there was this many species in one genus of fish......:eek:
Garra - Wikipedia
The Moore's woolly lemur is pretty rare and interesting, and so is the Alabama waterdog. Never knew it had existed since yesterday. Pretty interesting stuff. All these animals probably very few of the general public, (Non Animal nerds;)) have ever heard of.
EDIT: Just found out that there are just over 20 species of giant isopod. Its not just one species.
 
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