Nature & Environment

Machu Picchu home to giant 'extinct' rat

By T.K. Randall
September 28, 2014 ·  8 comments

The ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Image Credit: Allard Schmidt Evidence of the Chinchilla rat, an 'extinct' mammal around the size of a domestic cat, was first discovered in 1912 when two skulls were found inside some 400-year-old Incan pottery.

In 2009 however park ranger Roberto Quispe reported coming across what is believed to have been a live specimen near the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. Not realising its significance at the time he ended up releasing it back in to the wild.

Now a team of experts from Mexico and Peru have been able to confirm once and for all that the enigmatic species is very much alive after discovering not only a live specimen near the ruins but six other previously unknown species including a new lizard and four new types of frog."Hard field work was conducted with the spectacular archaeological site as part of the landscape, on very steep hills, with slopes of up to 60 degrees of inclination, dominated by montane forests, with leafy trees covered with mosses, lichens and other plants," the science team wrote.

Team leader Gerardo Ceballos said he was confident that the discovery will help to encourage further conservation efforts at Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas.

"It seems that the federal government has become more interested in reducing deforestation in the national park and the sanctuary in recent years," he said.

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (8)

Tags: Machu Picchu, Inca