A research team from the University of Helsinki came across a tree hyrax in the Taita Hills, Kenya, which may belong to a species previously unknown or documented by any scientist.
The recent discovery caused a buzz in the science world as there had been no record of that particular species anywhere on the planet.
Tree hyraxes, members of the genus Dendrohyrax, are medium-sized (3-5 kg) mammals native to Africa.
“Very little is known about the diversity and ecology of tree hyraxes because these animals, which look like large guinea pigs, but are distant relatives of elephants, are mainly active at night in the tree canopies in Africa’s tropical forests,” University of Helsinki’s Dr. Hanna Rosti detailed in her report.
The discovery, which was part of a study of the vocalisations of nocturnal animals in the Taita Hills, was published in mid-December 2020 in the scientific journal Discovery.
Tree hyraxes look like large guinea pigs but are distant relatives of elephants, with small tusk-like teeth.
They are known to be able to scream with the strength of more than one hundred decibels.
This is how the group of researchers were able to classify the Taita finding as a previously unknown species as the 'strangled thwack' calls they recorded in the forest had not been described anywhere else on earth.
The tree hyrax song may continue for more than twelve minutes, and it consists of different syllables that are combined and repeated in various ways.
“The singing animals are probably males attempting to attract females that are willing to mate,”the researchers explained.
Kenya is dream safari territory with some really rare animals captured on camera over the years.
From wild melanistic leopards to pink hippos as well as a polka-dotted zebra. All these animals have played a key role in making Kenya one of the leading tourist destinations in the world.
