Hundreds of new species of mammals are still yet to be discovered and are ‘hiding in plain sight around the world’, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Ohio State University say that most of these hidden creatures are small bodied, including bats, rodents, shrews and moles.
Their diminutive size and similarity to known mammals is likely why they’ve remained unidentified, according to Professor Bryan Carstens, co-author of the study.
‘Small, subtle differences in appearance are harder to notice when you’re looking at a tiny animal that weighs 10 grams than when you’re looking at something that is human-sized,’ he said.
‘You can’t tell they are different species unless you do a genetic analysis.’
Hundreds of new species of mammals are still yet to be discovered and are ‘hiding in plain sight around the world’, a new study suggests. Researchers from Ohio State University say that most of these hidden creatures are small bodied, including bats, rodents, shrews and moles. Pictured: big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
In the study, the team used supercomputer and machine learning techniques to analyse the genomes of 4,310 mammals.
They also examined data on where the animals live, their environment and life history.
Based on the analysis, the team was able to build a predictive model, identifying the groups of mammals that are most likely to contain hidden species.
‘A conservative estimate would be that there are hundreds of species of mammals worldwide that have yet to be identified,’ Professor Carstens said.
In particular, the team found that small-bodied animals, and those with wider geographic ranges with variable temperatures and precipitation were most likely to be unidentified.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, this suggests that many of the hidden species are likely to live in tropical rainforests.
However, the researchers say it’s likely there are unidentified species living in the US too.
For example, back in 2018, the Ohio State University team discovered a small brown bat found across North America is actually five distinct species.
One of the five species was only found around the Great Basin in Nevada, making its protection especially critical, according to the team.
‘We can’t protect a species if we don’t know that it exists,’ Professor Carstens explained.
‘As soon as we name something as a species, that matters in a lot of legal and other ways.’
Their diminutive size and similarity to known mammals is likely why small creatures are the most likely to be unidentified, according to Professor Bryan Carstens, co-author of the study. Pictured: Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)
In particular, the team found that small-bodied animals, and those with wider geographic ranges with variable temperatures and precipitation were most likely to be unidentified. Pictured: Bicolored shrew (Crocidura leucodon)
Based on the findings, the researchers estimate that around 20 per cent of mammals species worldwide are yet to be identified.
‘The shocking thing is that mammals are very well described compared to beetles or ants or other types of animals,’ he said.
‘We know a lot more about mammals than many other animals because they tend to be larger and are more closely related to humans, which makes them more interesting to us.’
The study comes shortly after researchers developed a map that revealed where the 80 per cent of ‘undiscovered life’ is thought to be hiding.
The map was created by scientists from Yale University and will help experts track unknown species ‘lurking in the shadows’.
The work found that only between 10 and 20 per cent of species have been identified by scientists, mostly likely in Brazil, Indonesia and Madagascar.
Due to climate change, habitat destruction from human activity and other facts, the team say it is a ‘race against time’ to trace the species before they disappear forever.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk