Scientists Thought This Fanged, Cat-Sized Deer Was Gone for Good—Now It’s Been Found Again in Vietnam
by Melissa Locker, Smithsonian.com
The so-called Vietnamese mouse-deer is an odd-looking creature. The cat-sized critter has a half-silver and half-auburn coat, beady eyes, spindly legs, and a pointed face that does indeed look like a cross between a mouse and a deer—but with fangs. Yes, the mouse-deer is a bit of a weirdo, but that’s not why biologists were shocked to see one on a trail camera.
The Vietnamese mouse-deer—technically called a silver-backed chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor)—has been lost to science for years. No Western biologist had seen one—dead or alive—for more than 30 years. (Researchers obtained dead silver-backed chevrotains in 1990. It was first described by scientists in 1907.) Scientists were concerned that due to poaching, wire snares, and habitat destruction, the creature had vanished from the face of the earth, reports Katherine J. Wu for Nova.
In 2008, the nonprofit group Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) launched a campaign called the Search for Lost Species with the mission to scour the world for 1,200 species that are lost to science, meaning the animals haven’t been photographed, documented or studied for many years and are “feared possibly extinct.” Of those, GWC has a 25 “most wanted” species list that included the silver-backed chevrotain.
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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Very cool critter, hope they survive.
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