Andean Makibear
| Andean Makibear | ||||||||||||
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Andean Makibär ( Bassaricyon neblina ) |
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| Bassaricyon neblina | ||||||||||||
| Helgen et al., 2013 |
The Andean Makibär ( Bassaricyon neblina ), also known as Olinguito ( Small Makibear , from Spanish Olingo for Makibär), is a small bear from the genus of the Makibears ( Bassaricyon ). It is closely related to the Makibear ( Bassaricyon alleni ), but differs genetically from this species. The Andean Makibear was only recognized as an independent species in 2006 by the American zoologist Kristofer Helgen and was scientifically described in 2013. Its distribution area are the Andes in Ecuador and Colombia.
features
The Andean Makibear reaches a size of 32 to 40 cm, a tail length of 33 to 43 cm and a weight of 0.75 to 1.1 kg. It is generally similar to the Makibear, but is smaller and has a longer, denser, and more vividly colored coat. In Ecuador, the maci bears have a light brown fur with black tips. In Colombia the animals are reddish brown. The tail is not conspicuously curled. However, the striped pattern can sometimes be seen in good light. The Andean Makibear has a pair of teats and only raises one cub at a time.
Subspecies and their distribution
The four subspecies Bassaricyon neblina neblina , B. n. Osborni , B. n. Hershkovitzi and B. n. Ruber are distinguished. A female of the nominate form was shot in 1923 by George Henry Hamilton Tate at an altitude of 2,130 m near Las Máquinas in the Pichincha province of Ecuador and is in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City . The specimen that was previously mistaken for a Maki bear has been the type specimen of this species since 2013. Further specimens of the nominate form were discovered in 2006 by Kristofer Helgen and Miguel Pinto in the province of Cotopaxi at altitudes of 1800 m, 2100 m, 2260 m and 2300 m and collected. The other three subspecies come from different regions of the Colombian Andes. B. n. Osborni occurs on the eastern slopes of the western Andes and the central Andes, B. n. Hershkovitzi on the eastern slopes of the central Andes and B. n. Ruber on the western slopes of the western Andes in Colombia.
habitat
The habitat of the Andean bassaricyon includes cloud and fog forests the northern Andes in Colombia and Ecuador , in 1500 to 2750 meters, while the other bassaricyon ( Olingos ) m occur only at altitudes up to 2000th
Way of life
The way of life of the Andean Makibear has so far been little researched. It is nocturnal and tree dwelling. The species feeds on omnivores ; Most of the food consists of fruits, especially wild figs, but also nectar and insects.
status
The Andean Makibear is currently not recorded by the IUCN . An immediate threat, however, comes from deforestation, which already affects 40 percent of its presumed distribution area.
Discovery story
The discovery of the Andean Maki bear was preceded by decades of confusion with the Maki bear. Captured for the first time in 1923, Kristofer Helgen discovered in 2006, by examining museum specimens from Colombia, that the Andean Maki bear differs from the Maki bear mainly in its size, a smaller and differently shaped skull and a thicker fur. In the same year Helgen traveled to the Cotopaxi province in Ecuador, where he was able to catch more specimens of this species, which are now in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. A DNA analysis, which Helgen published on August 15, 2013 in the journal ZooKeys , finally provided evidence that the Andean Makibear is indeed a newly discovered species. It was also revealed that a female named Ringerl , who lived in the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC until his death in 1976 , was also an Andean Maki bear and not, as initially assumed, a Maki bear. Mating between wrestler and makibear male in the zoos of Louisville (Kentucky) , Tucson , Salt Lake City , Washington DC and New York City had also failed. In 2009 the taxon was briefly described as an unnamed species ( Bassaricyon n. Sp. ) In the Handbook of the Mammals of the World . It is the first newly discovered species of predator in the Western Hemisphere since the Colombian weasel ( Mustela felipei ) in 1978.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Handbook of the Mammals of the World, p. 525
- ↑ a b c d Kristofer M. Helgen, Miguel Pinto, Roland Kays, Lauren Helgen, Mirian Tsuchiya, Aleta Quinn, Don Wilson, Jesus Maldonado: Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito. ZooKeys 324 (2013): Special issue: 1-83. doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.324.5827
- ↑ Olinguito the little bear: Researchers discover a new species of predator. Message from the FAZ from August 15, 2013.
- ↑ Seth Borenstein: Adorable New Mammal Species Found 'In Plain Sight' , ABC News. 15th August 2013.
- ^ Joseph Stromberg: For the First Time in 35 Years, A New Carnivorous Mammal Species is Discovered in the American Continents . In: Smithsonian Magazine . August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
literature
- Kristofer M. Helgen , Christian Miguel Pinto , Roland Kays, Lauren Helgen, Mirian Tsuchiya, Aleta Quinn, Don E. Wilson , Jesús E. Maldonado : Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito . ZooKeys 324: 1, 2013 doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.324.5827 (first scientific description)
- Kays, Roland: Family Procyonidae (Raccoons) In: Don E. Wilson & Russel Mittermeier (Eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions. 2009. S. 525. ISBN 978-84-96-553-49-1 (mentioned as Bassaricyon n. Sp. )
- Kemp, Christoper: Pushed up a mountain and into the clouds: The Olinguito In: The lost species: great expeditions in the collections of natural history museums The University of Chicago Press, 2017, ISBN 978-0-22638-621-8
Web links
- For the First Time in 35 Years A New Carnivorous Mammal Species is Discovered in the Western Hemisphere Message from the Smithsonian Museum.
- Jane O'Brien: Olinguito: 'Overlooked' mammal carnivore is major discovery . BBC News . August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- A new mammal. Peekaboo . In: The Economist . August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
