Laotian rock rat rediscovered in Laos after 11 million years
Technology
A rodent called the Laotian rock rat, believed extinct for 11 million years, has been found alive in Laos.
Mary R. Dawson and colleagues studied it as a "Lazarus species," a rare case where an animal thought long gone turns up again.
Before this, its family (Diatomyidae) was only known from fossils.
Rock rat skull, teeth matched fossils
The rock rat's unusual skull and teeth matched ancient fossils, confirming it's the last of its kind still around today.
It lives in Laos's limestone caves, which probably helped it stay hidden for so long.
Its rediscovery fills a big gap in the fossil record and is a cool reminder that nature can still surprise us, even in places we think we know well.