After a peak period of exploration and classification of new species in the 1930s, the discovery of new creatures on the planet dropped significantly and has continued to decline. It is tempting, in light of the decreasing frequency of new identifications, to believe that all of the species in the natural world have been discovered. That, however, is not the case. In fact, in August of 2013, researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History confirmed the discovery of a new species of mammal, the olinguito. The first indication that a new species might exist was identified in 2003. Kristofer Helgen, the curator of mammals at the museum, was evaluating specimens at a museum in Chicago when he discovered a collection of pelts that he had never seen before. “They were these rich, red skins with flowing fur,” noted Helgen. The data gathered with the skins identified their native locale as the northern Andes Mountains, at elevations higher than those common to the olingo, a related species they somewhat resembled.
Spurred on by this discovery, Helgen assembled a team of researchers from the United States and Ecuador and set out to search for the animal in the Otanga Cloud Forest Preserve of Ecuador. The team happened upon the animal their first night in the jungle. Through their work on that first journey and several subsequent trips the team not only confirmed the existence of the new species, but also four subspecies. In their research, the team discovered that a live olinguito actually lived in the United States during the 1960s. The female olinquito was moved from zoo to zoo and refused to mate with olingos.
Although the olinguito was only identified recently, it is neither rare nor endangered. Researchers estimate that thousands of the animals inhabit the forests of the preserve. The only major threat is the impact of deforestation on their habit, and even that, to this point, doesn’t seem to have a serious effect.
What was the first indication to researchers that the olinquito is not a rare species?
