Discovery of five new species of fuzzy hedgehogs

 Five new species of fuzzy hedgehogs are discovered in Southeast Asia

Scientists have discovered five new species of hedgehogs in South East Asia, including two entirely new species and three upgraded from subspecies. The new species of hedgehogs are all types of soft-furred, non-spiky hedgehogs found in tropical rainforests. They have dark brown fur, narrow snouts and completely black tails. The discovery highlights the incredible diversity of life on our planet and brings attention to threatened rainforest ecosystems. It is particularly important in South East Asia, which has high rates of deforestation.

Two of the species are entirely new to science, while the other three have been upgraded from the subspecies level after DNA analysis and physical characteristics helped researchers from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History describe and categorize the animals. The study, analysed physical specimens and genetic samples obtained from museum loans as well as specimens collected during field expeditions to Borneo, an island in Malaysia. These newly described mammals are furry, distinguishing them from the more familiar spiny hedgehogs found in Europe. Furry hedgehogs are teardrop-shaped, with faces ending in a long, narrow snout, not unlike a mini armadillo without a shell or something halfway between a mouse and a shrew.

Earlier, there were two known species of furry hedgehogs, but the study increases the total to seven. Three of the new hedgehog species were upgraded from subspecies of Hylomys suillus and are now named H. dorsalis, H. maxi and H. peguensis. The other two are new, Hylomys vorax and Hylomys macarong, and specimens of both had been in the museum collections for decades before they were identified.  It can be hard to tell small mammals apart, and detailed studies, like the one conducted by the Smithsonian researchers, can lead to discoveries that previously known specimens are indeed different species, as with these furry hedgehogs.

H. vorax are found only on the slopes of Mount Leuser in North Sumatra, Indonesia. They are also dark brown and slightly smaller, at about 4.7 inches long. The name is derived from a description of the hedgehogs as “voracious,” written by a mammalogist named Frederick Ulmer, who collected the specimens which led to the description in 1939. H. macarong are endemic to South Vietnam, are dark brown and about 5.5 inches long. The males have fang-like incisors, and the scientific name is derived from the Vietnamese word for vampire, ma cà rồng.

“They were voracious beasts often devouring the whole bait before springing the trap. Ham rind, coconut, meat and walnuts were eaten,”  Ulmer wrote. One “partially devoured the chicken head bait of a steel trap before getting caught in a nearby Schuyler trap baited with ham rind.” During the research, scientists collected over 300 physical specimens and tissue samples. Tissue samples for genetic analysis were obtained from historical or modern specimens in 14 museums across Asia, Europe and the US, as well as from specimens collected during three field trips to Borneo. The Smithsonian said on X that the study indicates that “even in well-studied animal groups like mammals, there are still discoveries waiting to be made, showing what is possible when modern techniques such as DNA analysis are applied to museum collections.”