New Elephant Shrew, New Water Rat species, and a rediscovered Chinchilla Rat

Three articles on smallish mammals

In the shadows of Machu Picchu, scientists find ‘extinct’ cat-sized mammal. Below one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, scientists have made a remarkable discovery: a living cat-sized mammal that, until now, was only known from fossils. See http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/in-the-shadows-of-machu-picchu-scientists-find-extinct-cat-sized-mammal/

A new species of sengi or elephant shrew has been discovered in Namibia. Called Macroscelides micus, this rust-coloured mammal is the smallest of all 19 known species of sengi and genetic analysis shows important differences between it and close relatives.See http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/elephant-shrew.html#cr

A new genus and species of a carnivorous water rat has been discovered in central Indonesia.This is the only known water rat from Sulawesi and the wider Southeast Asian region. The scientists used DNA sequences to prove that the new species is not a close relative of any other water rat species, including those of New Guinea and Australia. See http://www.wildlifeextra.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=1&listitemid=19288&live=0#cr

Jon