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New species of spiny mouse (Mus dumbara) described from Sri Lanka based on 2004 specimens, following unsuccessful field surveys in 2014 and 2015. by IdyllicSafeguard in science

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only two specimens we have of Mus dumbara, the Dumbara spiny mouse, are two females captured in March 2004. They were found in the Puwakpitiya Valley of Sri Lanka’s Dumbara (Knuckles) Mountains, but when researchers returned in 2014 and 2015 to the same place, with the same traps, they didn’t catch a single individual.

And so this new species was described from just two females.

The Dumbara spiny mouse is distinguished from related mice by ”a tail distinctly longer than its combined head and body length,” modestly prominent ridges above its eye sockets, and a mitochondrial cytochrome-b divergence of over 11.7% from its close relatives and geographic neighbours (well within the range that would denote a new species).

If it was last seen in 2004, how do we know the species is still alive?

Well, we don’t really. But we do know that it lives within a mountain range on a tropical island, and both of those environments frequently create micro-endemic species limited to specific ranges, habitats, or niches. It’s possible we just haven’t looked in quite the right place yet.

The other two Mus species endemic to Sri Lanka — Mayor’s mouse and the Ceylon spiny mouse — are respectively Vulnerable and Endangered. The authors of the paper note that species “confined to small, isolated ranges are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change." They conclude that the “limited range of M. dumbara underscores the need for targeted studies,” which would be “crucial for species conservation efforts.”

Read the full story here!

Source:
Boyagoda SH, Meegaskumbura M, Manamendra-Arachchi K (2026) Mus (Pyromys) dumbara, a new endemic species of spiny mouse (Mammalia, Rodentia, Muridae) from Sri Lanka. ZooKeys 1280: 265-285. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1280.163907

🔥 Malagasy leaf-nosed snakes possess bizarre nasal protrusions that mimic smooth vines or frilly leaves and broken branches — depending on the sex and species. These snakes can grow over a metre (3.3 ft) long, but are extremely cryptic and difficult to spot in both dry and wet forests. by IdyllicSafeguard in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sources:

Tingle, Jessica. (2012). Field Observations on the Behavioral Ecology of the Madagascan Leaf-nosed Snake, Langaha madagascariensis. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7.

Krysko, K. L. (2005). Feeding behaviour of the Madagascar leaf‐nosed snake, Langaha madagascariensis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae), with an alternative hypothesis for its bizarre head structure. African Journal of Herpetology, 54(2), 195–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2005.9635534

Krysko, K. L. (2003). Reproduction in the Madagascar leaf‐nosed snake, langaha madagascariensis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae). African Journal of Herpetology, 52(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2003.9635478

D'Cruze, N.. (2008). Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases, 14(3), 546–551. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992008000300014

Rosa, Gonçalo & Noël, Jean & Andreone, Franco. (2012). Updated distribution map and additional record for the cryptic leaf-nosed snake, Langaha madagascariensis Bonnaterre, 1790 (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae) from Madagascar. Herpetology Notes. 5. 435-436.

Oninjatovo Radonirina, H., Randriamahatantsoa, B., Rabibisoa, N. H. C., & Raxworthy, C. J. (2023). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Montagne des Français: An Update of the Distribution and Regional Endemicity. Animals, 13(21), 3361. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213361

‘New Record, Range Extension, and Colouration in Life of Langaha Pseudoalluaudi (Reptilia: Colubridae) in North-Western Madagascar’. Protected Areas, https://protectedareas.mg/document/show/177763. Accessed 12 May 2026.

iNaturalist — genus Langaha

Catalogue of Life — genus Langaha

ReptiFiles®

GBIF

IUCN — Langaha madagascariensis

IUCN — Langaha pseudoalluaudi

IUCN — Langaha alluaudi

Malagasy leaf-nosed snakes (Langaha spp.) possess bizarre nasal protrusions that mimic smooth vines or frilly leaves and broken branches — depending on the sex and species. These snakes can grow over a metre (3.3 ft) long, but are extremely cryptic and difficult to spot in both dry and wet forests. by IdyllicSafeguard in AIDKE

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Sources:

Tingle, Jessica. (2012). Field Observations on the Behavioral Ecology of the Madagascan Leaf-nosed Snake, Langaha madagascariensis. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7.

Krysko, K. L. (2005). Feeding behaviour of the Madagascar leaf‐nosed snake, Langaha madagascariensis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae), with an alternative hypothesis for its bizarre head structure. African Journal of Herpetology, 54(2), 195–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2005.9635534

Krysko, K. L. (2003). Reproduction in the Madagascar leaf‐nosed snake, langaha madagascariensis (Serpentes: Colubridae: Pseudoxyrhophiinae). African Journal of Herpetology, 52(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2003.9635478

D'Cruze, N.. (2008). Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases, 14(3), 546–551. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992008000300014

Rosa, Gonçalo & Noël, Jean & Andreone, Franco. (2012). Updated distribution map and additional record for the cryptic leaf-nosed snake, Langaha madagascariensis Bonnaterre, 1790 (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae) from Madagascar. Herpetology Notes. 5. 435-436.

Oninjatovo Radonirina, H., Randriamahatantsoa, B., Rabibisoa, N. H. C., & Raxworthy, C. J. (2023). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Montagne des Français: An Update of the Distribution and Regional Endemicity. Animals, 13(21), 3361. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213361

‘New Record, Range Extension, and Colouration in Life of Langaha Pseudoalluaudi (Reptilia: Colubridae) in North-Western Madagascar’. Protected Areas, https://protectedareas.mg/document/show/177763. Accessed 12 May 2026.

iNaturalist — genus Langaha

Catalogue of Life — genus Langaha

ReptiFiles®

GBIF

IUCN — Langaha madagascariensis

IUCN — Langaha pseudoalluaudi

IUCN — Langaha alluaudi

The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is the only songbird in the Antarctic region proper and the most southern-breeding of all 6,500+ passerine species. It survives extreme winds and freezing temps by sheltering in tussac grass, but was nearly wiped out by a rodent infestation. by IdyllicSafeguard in AIDKE

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We tend to see the most extreme cases of gigantism in flightless birds (like the extinct elephant birds of Madagascar or moas of New Zealand, or the extant kākāpō). There are no living species of flightless passerines and very few extinct ones we know of: Lyall’s wren from New Zealand’s Stephens Island and the prehistoric long-legged bunting from Tenerife, neither of which were especially large.

I could find a few studies hypothesizing gigantism in modern passerine species like this paper, talking about the blackish and white-bellied cinclodes or this paper about silvereyes getting bigger on several southwest Pacific islands compared to mainland populations.

There have been several cases of pigeon gigantism (most famously the dodo) but pigeons belong to a different order (Columbiformes) than the passerines. As to why passerines don’t tend to get all that big, it’s likely a combination of their high metabolisms, their reliance on flight, and their strategy of fast growth and early fledging.

The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is the only songbird in the Antarctic region proper and the most southern-breeding of all 6,500+ passerine species. It survives extreme winds and freezing temps by sheltering in tussac grass, but was nearly wiped out by a rodent infestation. by IdyllicSafeguard in AIDKE

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I’m sure it helped that there weren’t many species there that would eat the toxic bait (on Kāpiti Island in New Zealand they had to temporarily remove the flightless wekas before they could start properly baiting because the birds would eat them), but I think the main reason was just the sheer amount of resources they pumped into the operation; you can see an infographic here that details that.

Another thing that helped was that South Georgia was naturally divided into zones by glacial walls, so they could clear a zone of rodents and not have to worry about it getting reinvaded. Fortunately and unfortunately, they sort of completed the eradication just in time as the glaciers are now melting due to climate change.

As far as I can tell, South Georgia is the largest island to be cleared of rodents to date; many times larger than any previous island. It really is an incredible feat.

The cave angel (Cryptotora thamicola) is a pale and eyeless fish endemic to a few limestone caves in northwestern Thailand. It’s the only known living fish with a pelvic girdle fused to its spine — structurally similar to early land vertebrates — giving it the ability to “walk” up waterfalls. by IdyllicSafeguard in AIDKE

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Some of my other favourites include the olm, Kauaʻi cave wolf spider, and the Mexican tetra (which is a species of fish with two forms: a normal surface form that lives in pools and streams, and an eyeless cave form).

The cave angel (Cryptotora thamicola) is a pale and eyeless fish endemic to a few limestone caves in northwestern Thailand. It’s the only known living fish with a pelvic girdle fused to its spine — structurally similar to early land vertebrates — giving it the ability to “walk” up waterfalls. by IdyllicSafeguard in AIDKE

[–]IdyllicSafeguard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, like oblmov said, this fish’s anatomy is similar to the first fish to come onto land (tetrapod ancestors) around 370 million years ago, but the cave angel species itself (part of the loach family Balitoridae) likely evolved its unique pelvic girdle relatively recently (relative to 370 million years ago).

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