Carnivores discovered in the 2000s

"This page is a list of species of the order Carnivora discovered in the 2000s. The order also contains animals once classified separately in Pinnipedia. See also parent page Mammals discovered in the 2000s."

Bornean Clouded Leopard "Neofelis diardi" (2007)

"Neofelis diardi" is a medium-sized wild cat found on Borneo, Sumatra and the Batu Islands in the Malay Archipelago and publicised under the name Bornean Clouded Leopard by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on March 14, 2007. Its coat is marked with irregularly-shaped, dark-edged ovals which are said to be shaped like clouds, hence its common name. Though scientists have known of its existence since the early 19th century, it was positively identified as being a distinct species in its own right in 2006, having long been believed to be a subspecies of the mainland Clouded Leopard ("Neofelis nebulosa"). WWF quoted Dr. Stephen O'Brien of the U.S. National Cancer Institute as saying, "Genetic research results clearly indicate that the clouded leopard of Borneo should be considered a separate species". Some journalists have pointed out, though, that this taxon is previously known as a subspecies, and claim that the WWF announcement of a new species was more designed to draw attention to its endangered status.

Qinling Panda "Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis" (2005)

In 2005 it was announced that research had concluded that the Giant Panda ("Ailuropoda melanoleuca") population in Qinling Mountains, China, was sufficiently different from other pandas to warrant the creation of a new subspecies, "Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis". Among other differences the Qinling Panda has brown colouration replacing the familiar black and white fur of typical giant pandas.cite journal
author= Wan, Q.-H., H. Wu, and S.-G. Fang
title=A new subspecies of giant panda ("Ailuropoda melanoleuca") from Shaanxi, China
year=2005
journal=Journal of Mammalogy
volume=86
pages=397–402
doi=10.1644/BRB-226.1]

"Cat-fox" (2005)

In 2005 pictures were published of a potential new species of Carnivore, known in the press as the cat-fox. The images were taken by a night-time camera trap set by the WWF, on the Indonesian side of Borneo. At first sight they seem to show some kind of Viverrid, slightly larger than a cat, with red fur. The creature may turn out to be a new species, though some speculate it could be the exceedingly rare Hose's Palm Civet ("Diplogale hosei").cite web
title= 'New mammal' seen in Borneo woods
work=BBC News
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4501152.stm
accessdate=2006-05-13] It has recently been argued that the animal on the photos may, in fact, be the poorly known Thomas' Flying Squirrel "(Aeromys thomasi)".cite journal
author=Meijaard, Erik; Kitchener, Andrew C.; Smeenk, Chris
title=‘New Bornean carnivore’ is most likely a little known flying squirrel.
year=2006
journal=Mammal Review
volume=36
pages=318–324
doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.2006.00089.x]

Lowe's Servaline Genet "Genetta servalina lowei" (2002)

In 2002 Lowe's Servaline Genet ("Genetta servalina lowei") was photographed by a camera trap in Tanzania. Its rediscovery marks the first time the viverrid had been recorded since its type specimen, a single pelt, was collected in 1932.cite web
title=Rare African Predator Photographed for First Time
work=National Geographic
url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0620_020620_genet.html
accessdate=2006-05-13]

"Mellivora capensis buechneri" (2000)

A new subspecies of the Honey Badger was discovered in Turkmenistan in 2000. It is similar to the subspecies "M. c. indica" and "M. c. inaurita", but has differences including a larger size.cite web
title=A new subspecies of the honey badger Mellivora capensis from Central Asia
work=Catalogo Articoli
url=http://serials.cib.unibo.it/cgi-ser/start/it/spogli/df-s.tcl?prog_art=2553421&language=ITALIANO&view=articoli
accessdate=2006-05-13]

"Civettictis civetta pauli" (2000)

A new subspecies of the African Civet.

References