This video is about tuco-tucos.
From Science, Space & Robots:
Scientists Identify Four New Species of Tuco-Tucos
Scientists have identified four new species of tuco-tuco in Bolivia. The research team was led by Scott Gardner from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tuco-tucos are gopher-like mammals that make burrows for homes. They range in size as adults from 7 to 12 inches (.2 to .3 meters) and weigh about 1 pound (0.45 kilograms).
The researchers say the high ridges that create deep river valleys in central Bolivia have aided the development of different tuco-tuco species through geographic isolation. The four new tuco-tuco species include Ctenomys erikacuellarae (Erika’s tuco-tuco), Ctenomys andersoni (Anderson’s cujuchi), Ctenomys lessai (Lessa’s tuco-tuco) and Ctenomys yatesi (Yates’ tuco-tuco). There are about 65 tuco-tuco species in South America. Bolivia has twelve of them with the four newly identified species. …
Tuco-tucos dig complex burrows using their claws and their teeth. These burrows feature long branching tunnels and include a main tunnel that is longer than 46 feet (14 meters). They reportedly make a loud “tuc-tuc” noise which is where the tuco-tuco name comes from.
Gardner said in a statement, “The area from which these mammals were collected is still relatively unknown in a biological sense, even though this is the eastern foothills of the Andes, with among the highest level of biodiversity anywhere.”
A research paper on the new species was published here in the Special Publications from the Museum of Text Tech University.
July 21, 2014
Very cool. Just goes to show there’s still plenty to discover in the world.
Definitely. Many insects, but also quite some other life forms.
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