The last of the red hot coelacanths has friendly competition

[acroyear]

Just like the coelacanths, another animal family thought to be extinct (for 11 million years) may be alive after all!

In central Laos, they have found an animal that closely resembles the long since extinct "Rat-Squirrel".  Scientists haven't caught a living one yet for fuller analsys, but are still hopeful.

[note on the reporting: it would be unlikely that it could be the same "species" as the 11 million year old ancestors, merely the same family in the same way that we're in the same family as our 11 million year old pre-human ancestors.  That we changed more drastically from them than this specimen did in comparison to its fossil ancestor is mostly irrelevant.]

Comments

[faerydusted1.livejournal.com]

Are you kidding?? Rat-squirrels have been living off the refuse found all over the UMBC campus for decades. They're alive and well, I tell you!

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

"rat-squirrels", not "squirrels living like rats" (which sound like the ones trained for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that didn't make the cut...) :)

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

Of course, evolution is only a theory. In reality there are plenty of intelligent design solutions that could account for the sudden appearance of these unforseen creatures.

Really, you know, they were just put there by god five minutes ago, just for a laugh.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

why can't god just wait to laugh until we die, like depeche mode says?

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

well he does that too. I mean there's no shortage of plenty of people dying in the world.

This is just for variety. Sometimes you just need to try a new flavour of potato chip.

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

I'll have mine with some hairy blonder lobster, thanks...

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

Wow, that just kinda hits all my squicky buttons in one shot.

Well done.

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

::bows::

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Scrat lives! (Now I need to make a Scrat icon...)

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

dang i forgot that's what they modelled him over.

and just in time for the sequel's upcoming release, too!

[faerydusted1.livejournal.com]

That was the first thing I thought of!!

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

I bet they taste just like chicken.