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'Oddball rodent' in Laos takes scientists by surprise By John Noble Wilford The New York Times THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005 They live in the forests and limestone outcrops of Laos. With long whiskers, stubby legs and a long, furry tail, they are rodents but unlike any seen before by wildlife scientists. They are definitely not rats or squirrels, only vaguely like a guinea pig or a chinchilla. And they often show up in Laotian outdoor markets being sold for food. There, visiting scientists came upon the animals and determined that they represented a rare find: an entire new family of...

Rat-Like Rodent May Be Coming to S.C. 1 hour, 41 minutes ago Strange News - AP COLUMBIA, S.C. - State wildlife officials are concerned that a large, rat-like rodent called nutria may soon be showing up in the Savannah and Pee Dee river basins. The furry bucktoothed rodent looks like a mix between a beaver and a rat and weighs up to 20 pounds. They have become a nuisance in other southern states because they eat marsh plants and dig through dams. Nutria reach sexual maturity within a year and quickly reproduce. They are enough of a problem in Louisiana...

When Buffy the Chihuahua lost a puppy during a C-section July 29, the doctor sent her home with a replacement for consolation — a chipmunk weighing less than an ounce. Marty the chipmunk has adapted well to Buffy’s nursing, surprising even his caretaker. “He won’t know he’s a chipmunk when his eyes open,” said Imogene Wills, 70, the dog’s owner.

Angry Mom Flings Pizza At Chuck E. Cheese Character POSTED: 12:48 pm EDT June 29, 2004 MACON, Ga. -- A teenager dressed as Chuck E. Cheese was pelted with pizza and threatened with a beating Sunday by an angry parent who said the restaurant mascot wasn't paying enough attention to her child. Macon police reported that a 17-year-old girl was in costume as the pizzeria chain character -- a gray cartoonlike rodent with large front teeth. That's when the 31-year-old Macon woman threw a piece of pizza at her, the report stated. The woman then allegedly threatened to "whip" the...

Think the rodents you've seen in movies are scary? Scientists who've analyzed the fossilized remains of an extinct South American relative of guinea pigs say that the ancient bruisers were as large as bison. HIDE THE CHEESE. A bison-size rodent, Phoberomys pattersoni, grazed on aquatic grasses and roamed the riverbanks of ancient Venezuela about 8 million years ago.C.L. Cain/Science Researchers first described Phoberomys pattersoni in 1980 but until recently had only bone fragments and isolated teeth to study. Despite that limitation, scientists suspected that the animals were huge, says Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra, a paleontologist at the University of Tübingen in...

The fossil remains of a gigantic rodent that looked something like a monster guinea pig have been identified by scientists in Venezuela. The 700-kilogram beast - about the size of a buffalo - lived among the reeds and grasses of an ancient river system that threaded its way into the Caribbean Sea eight million years ago. Researchers think the creature, which was 10 times as big as today's largest rodents, could have run in huge packs. Evidence suggests it also had to dodge the constant attentions of super-sized crocodiles and carnivorous birds, which stood three metres tall. The biggest The...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The full magnitude of the world's largest ever rodent has been revealed- the now-extinct monster was the size of a cow. The creature weighed in at 700 kilograms and lived eight million years ago, roaming the lush banks of the ancient Orinoco delta in northwestern Venezuela. But the three-metre-long, 1.3-metre-tall behemoth was an evolutionary cousin of today's humble guinea pig. Phoberomys pattersoni would have lived a semi-aquatic life, munching sea grass and dodging other strange, gargantuan creatures such as three-metre-long crocodiles, lion-sized marsupial cats and huge, flightless carnivorous birds, according to...

Scientists Bring New Twist To 'Death By Chocolate' With Chocolate Flavoured Mousetrap <!-- BODY BEGIN <p>A mousetrap made out of chocolate developed by scientists at the University of Warwick is set to bring a new meaning to 'Death by Chocolate'. The novel invention leads mice into temptation with the irresistible, alluring scent of chocolate essence without the use of bait. </p> <p><p>A collaboration of the University of Warwick's Innovation Direct service, a free consultancy service for SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) and Sorex Ltd, a leading manufacturer of rodent control products, from Cheshire, has developed the mousetrap made out...

Police Investigate Rodent in a Roadster Sun Sep 8, 9:56 AM ET LONDON (Reuters) - British detectives are investigating the mystery of a hamster found driving a toy racing car along a promenade at a northern seaside resort, newspapers said on Saturday. The hamster, nicknamed Speedy, was handed in by a member of the public who found him cruising through Cleveleys, near Blackpool in the modified toy, which he powered by a treadmill. "It is a model hotrod racing car with large wheels at the back and small ones at the front," the Daily Express quoted Constable Quentin Allen...

A PROBLEM WITH PRAIRIE DOGS Debate over rodents' removal has Lubbock leaders in a bind By EVAN MOORE Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle LUBBOCK -- The atmosphere was electric, charged with anticipation as Linda Watson knelt in the dirt and thrust a sunburned arm elbow-deep down a prairie dog hole. Sean Meyers / Special to the Chronicle Linda Watson, who runs a business specializing in trapping prairie dogs, and Daryl Hogue of Lubbock run water into a prairie dog hole to force the animals to the surface so they can be relocated. "Got him," breathed Watson. Then, with one deft movement...