US Scientists have discovered a new living mammal in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador, a source told BBC News.
According to the report, the mammal was named 'Olinguito' and was identified as the first new species of carnivore to have been identified in the Western hemisphere in 35 years.
The scientists told BBC News that the discovery of this mammal came as a surprise because it is actually considered very rare in the 21st century.
Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington BC told BBC News that he stopped in his tracks when he saw some bones and animal skin in storage at a Chicago museum.
He described the physical appearance of the skin to BBC News saying, "The skins were rich in color and when I looked at the skulls I didn't recognize the anatomy. It was different to any similar animal I'd seen, and right away I thought it could be a species new to science."
Helgen told the BBC News that he and his team used clues from the specimens to help figure out where the mammal came from and to predict the type of forest they may still be living in - and they found it.
