New giant rat species discovered

CNN ^ | September 7, 2009

[BulletBobCo]

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Scientists have discovered a new species of giant rat in a remote rainforest in Papua New Guinea.

Measuring 82 centimeters (32.2 inches) from nose to tail and weighing around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds), the species is thought to be one of the largest rats ever to be found.

The discovery was made by a team from the BBC Natural History Unit inside the crater of Mount Bosavi -- an extinct volcano in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea.

"This is one of the world's largest rats. It's a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers," said Kristofer Helgen, a biologist from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who was part of the expedition team.

Initial examinations of the rat -- provisionally named the Bosavi woolly rat -- suggest that it belongs to the Mallomys -- a genus of rodents in the muridae family which are the largest living species of rodent.

[Bob Eimiller]

DemocRATS?

[thefactor]

anyone seen Waxman lately?

[Principled]

Papua NG is an interesting place to be sure - but EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

[SAJ]

First known specimen named Michael Moore?

[null and void]

Countdown to the first 0bama photo/graphic:

10, 9, 8, 7, 6...

[lionheart 247365]

The halls of Congress are full of them .

[Cheetahcat]

Nothing to see here, we had one too until it got brain cancer and died.

[freedumb2003]

[olezip]

Scientists have discovered a new species of giant rat in a remote rainforest in Papua New Guinea.

This is old news. I already saw the giant rats in "The Princess Bride."

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

So,,, did they get bigger by evolving? Don’t tell G-Cube!

[Chet 99]

[southernnorthcarolina]

I believe the genus name is "Krzyzewski," but known in North Carolina simply as "Ratface."

[Berlin_Freeper]

'I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot'...
'I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms'...
'Protect our environment'...
'There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in'...

[Jeff Chandler]

[MAexile]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Great. Like we don’t have enough of them already!

[Jeff Chandler]

Mine is more illustrative of the rodential nature of this strange new creature.

[BulletBobCo]

Narf!

[earlJam]

Giant Rat?

I was going to post a fat picture of Ted Kennedy walking on the beach.... but thought that since he recently dies, it would be perceived as being insensitive.