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Nearly a century ago, scientists discovered a water mouse in a stream in Ethiopia with waterproof fur and wide legs for wading in the water. No one has ever found another mouse belonging to this species, which is now believed to be extinct.
However, in a new study, scientists have identified close relatives of the mysterious mouse, including two previously unknown species.
Study co-author Julian Kerbis Peterhans is a researcher at the Field Museum who has studied rodents for more than three decades.
“These two groups of mice have been confused for a century,” Peterhans said. “They’ve been so elusive for so long, they’re some of the rarest animals in the world, so it’s exciting to finally discover their family tree.”
The genus represented by the only specimen collected in Ethiopia is known as Nilopegamys. The relatives of Nilopegamys, which are rare animals found in the Congo Basin and West Africa, belong to the genus Colomys. The name Colomys roughly translates to “stilt mouse” because of its elongated legs for wading and foraging in shallow streams.
“These mice are long-legged, like a kangaroo. They squat and wade through shallow streams with their whiskers on the surface of the water detecting movement, like sonar, “said Peterhans.
“When I caught my first mouse about 30 years ago, it was the most beautiful African mouse I had ever seen, it had a water-repellent coat that was very thick, lush, warm and welcoming. They are incredibly soft and have this extraordinary snow-white belly. “
Mice prefer shallow streams where they can use their whiskers to help them hunt, but they are also found in rivers and swamps.
“To cross one of the rivers where I caught a Colomys, you have to use poles, the water is up to your waist,” said study co-author Terry Demos. “And there can be torrential rains in the tropics, so sometimes half of the traps get washed away and you have to go downstream to try to find them.”
The research is the first of its kind to evaluate Colomys in its wide range. Using field studies and museum collections, the team compared the physical features of the mice and performed DNA tests.
The analysis revealed that within the genus Colomys, there were two new species that had not yet been described, which are now known as Colomys lumumbai and C. wologizi.
“The new species we name are part of a global effort to understand the biodiversity of African rainforests and highlight critical areas that need to be preserved,” Demos said. “There are vast areas of the Congo Basin that have hardly been explored in the last seventy years, places that are difficult to access due to political instability. We are not even completely sure how these animals are distributed, there are big gaps. “
The study’s lead author, Professor Tom Giarla, managed to extract DNA from a piece of dried tissue in the skull of the 93-year-old specimen, ultimately revealing that Nilopegamys is the closest known relative of Colomys.
“How little is known about the biodiversity of small mammals, especially in tropical parts of the world, is underestimated. We are not discovering many new lions, tigers and bears, but there is incredible potential for the discovery of new species of small mammals because they are difficult to find, ”said Professor Giarla.
“And they are kind of underrated animals, they are really great when you start learning about their ecology. These are semi-aquatic mice, so they are not just ordinary rodents. “
The study is published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer
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