‘Orangish’ critter found living along rivers in Amazon rainforest. It’s a new species

Researchers recently discovered a small, “orangish” creature dwelling near the Amazon River.

The animal, a type of rice rat, was found in the heavily deforested Brazilian states of Pará and Rondônia, according to a study published Oct. 12 in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.

Measuring about 3.5 inches, the rat is distinguished by its ginger-colored fur, researchers from various Brazilian universities said.

DNA analysis revealed that it belongs to the genus Oecomys Thomas, a family of South American rats currently known to contain 19 species.

It was given the name jamari in a nod to the Jamari National Forest, a swath of federally protected land within Brazil’s broader Amazonia biome.

The forest is “one of the last remaining preservation areas in the state of Rondônia, which is under constant threat due to human activities,” researchers said in the study.

The newfound species could be “endangered in some degree mainly by the loss of their habitat caused by the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the so-called ‘arc of deforestation’ of Amazonia,” researchers said.

The Amazon biome, the world’s largest rainforest, contains about 10% of the planet’s known species, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

More than 10,000 of the region’s species of plants and animals now face a high risk of extinction due to deforestation, according to Reuters, citing a 2021 report from the Science Panel for the Amazon, a conservation organization.

This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 3:16 PM with the headline "‘Orangish’ critter found living along rivers in Amazon rainforest. It’s a new species."