I thought it looked like a Brontosaur... until I realized I was looking at the wrong end!
Posted on 12/05/2005 11:35:29 PM PST by dangus
GENEVA (Reuters) - Environmental researchers are preparing to capture what they call a new, mysterious species of carnivore on Borneo, the first such discovery on the wildlife-rich Indonesian island in over a century.
Swiss-based environmental group WWF said on Monday its researchers photographed the strange animal, which looks like a cross between a cat and a fox, in the dense, central mountainous rainforests of Borneo.
"This could be the first time in more than a century that a new carnivore has been discovered on the island," said the WWF in a statement.
The mammal, slightly larger than a cat with red fur and a long tail, was photographed twice by a camera trap at night.
Locals and wildlife experts who viewed photographs of the animal, which has very small ears and large hind legs, said they had never seen such a creature before and were convinced that it was a new species, WWF said.
Researchers hope to confirm the discovery by setting cage traps to catch a live specimen, but warn that Indonesian government plans to clear the rainforest to create the world's largest palm oil plantation may interfere with plans, WWF said.
The proposed plantation scheme, funded by the China Development Bank, is expected to cover an area of 1.8 million hectares, equivalent to about half the size of The Netherlands, said the WWF, formerly known as the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The potential new species of carnivore in Borneo would be the first since the discovery of the Borneo ferret-badger in 1895, the WWF said.
Pictures of the animal were first taken by WWF researchers in 2003, the photos kept unpublished by the WWF as research continued. The WWF decided to make public the photos with the release of a book about Borneo, to be published on Tuesday.
I thought it looked like a Brontosaur... until I realized I was looking at the wrong end!
This thing must have hidden its wings, its obviously a chupacabra
So an impoverished area of the world needs to bow before your "plans" WWF?
As for the potential "new" species, the Law of Nature applies: adapt or die.
Ping
Good point... Its extremely poor editing to fail to define an acronymic name.
maybe it IS a cat.
Why did you post that? I can't stop seeing it from the wrong end any more!
It's some rodent that some environmentalist "found" so that they can keep a palm oil plantation from being built.
Even for a Brontosaur it looks a little odd, I mean it appears to have a double barrel poop chute????
spock would say something like "captain, it resembles the flying ass-monkeys of Rigel 7"
Don't look, Ethyl!!!!!
A distant cousin of Howard Dean's...
Where do you think wrestlers come from?
Is that the infamous voting dead Democrat?
Don't tell me the WWF doesn't have an agenda. Why else would they wait two years to discuss these photos?
LOL. . .on the Brontosaurus. . .I see it as well. . .
Of course, this 'oops factor', could explain his extinction - brain in wrong end, kind of thing.
Does make me wonder why we still have Liberals. . .and how much longer we might have to wait for Nature's correction. . .
I'll be it is probably descended from someone's pet marsupial.
The WWF got sued by the WWF till they were forced to call themselves the WWE... cuz the UN said so.
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