{"id":29667,"date":"2023-12-14T09:10:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T14:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=29667"},"modified":"2024-01-18T10:28:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T15:28:31","slug":"discovery-the-olinguito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/discovery-the-olinguito\/","title":{"rendered":"A Look Back at the Discovery of the Olinguito"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, a team of scientists \u2014 including NC State professor Roland Kays<\/a> \u2014 discovered a new species: the olinguito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The olinguito is native to the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador and is the smallest member of the raccoon family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2023, the olinguito remains the only carnivore species to be discovered in the Americas in over four decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its large eyes, bushy tail and reddish-orange fur, the olinguito is often compared to a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScientists describe new species every year, but most of them are bats and rats,\u201d said Kays, a research associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. \u201cWe kind of joke that ours is the cutest discovery in the past 45 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery of the olinguito goes back to the early 2000s when zoologist Kristofer Helgen began counting the number of olingo species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon examining museum specimens around the world, Helgen found pelt and skull samples that didn\u2019t resemble those belonging to other olingos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olingos are bigger than olinguitos and have long tails, short legs and pointed snouts. They also have thick coats of grayish-brown fur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kristofer<\/a>
Kristofer Helgen examines olinguito specimens. Photo provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Helgen conducted genetic testing and reviewed historical field data, eventually concluding that the museum specimens belonged to an unknown species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years following, Helgen decided to finally find out whether the species still existed in the wild. So he recruited the help of Kays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays had previously studied the behavior and ecology of olingos<\/a> in their natural habitat while completing his Ph.D. research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helgen and Kays, along with Ecuadorian zoologist Miguel Pinto, set off on a three-week field expedition in 2006 to the Andes mountains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day, the researchers hiked through a cloud forest during the nighttime hours in search of the unknown species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only took two days before the researchers found the animal climbing in the treetops of a forest on the western slopes of the Andes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe already knew when and where to look based on historical data, but the cloud forests have low visibility so we expected a challenge,\u201d Kays said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays and his collaborators spent the remainder of the trip studying the animal\u2019s ecology and behaviors, and documenting the other mammals of the forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Roland<\/a>
Roland Kays holds a tranquilized olinguito. Photo provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With their findings, the researchers mapped out the animal\u2019s predicted geographic distribution and reorganized the olingo genus into four species, including the olinguito. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in 2013, the researchers announced their discovery<\/a> of the olinguito, or the \u201clittle olingo,\u201d in the journal ZooKeys. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays said the discovery of the olinguito was a career achievement, one rooted in his passion for studying tropical species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy undergraduate studies got me excited about doing work in the tropics, especially the unexplored tree canopy, and a lot of my graduate school work was related to that,\u201d Kays said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, \u201cTo actually discover and describe a new species from the tropical canopy was really exciting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery of the olinguito also represented a pivotal moment for wildlife conservation and continues to inspire local action, according to Kays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

South America has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, with Ecuador and Colombia losing more than 5 million acres since 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their study, Kays and his collaborators estimated that 42% of historic olinguito habitat had already been converted to agriculture or urban areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cloud<\/a>
More than 100,000 acres are cleared each year in the cloud forests of Ecuador. Photo via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many organizations throughout Ecuador and Colombia have since used the olinguito to raise awareness about local habitat loss and to generate funding for wildlife conservation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur discovery of the olinguito helped to raise the profile of wildlife conservation in these countries,\u201d Kays said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the discovery, Kays said many scientists and local people have uploaded photos of the olinguito to iNaturalist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

iNaturalist allows people to upload photos of wildlife and other subjects to \u201cdiscuss, identify and create research-quality citizen science data.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a follow-up study, Kays and his collaborators used iNaturalist photos and other citizen science contributions to revise the map displaying the geographic range of the olinguito. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Kays doesn\u2019t have any immediate plans to conduct further research on the olinguito, he continues to monitor iNaturalist photos to ensure the animals are identified correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, a team of scientists \u2014 including NC State professor Roland Kays<\/a> \u2014 discovered a new species: the olinguito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The olinguito is native to the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador and is the smallest member of the raccoon family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2023, the olinguito remains the only carnivore species to be discovered in the Americas in over four decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its large eyes, bushy tail and reddish-orange fur, the olinguito is often compared to a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScientists describe new species every year, but most of them are bats and rats,\u201d said Kays, a research associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. \u201cWe kind of joke that ours is the cutest discovery in the past 45 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery of the olinguito goes back to the early 2000s when zoologist Kristofer Helgen began counting the number of olingo species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon examining museum specimens around the world, Helgen found pelt and skull samples that didn\u2019t resemble those belonging to other olingos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olingos are bigger than olinguitos and have long tails, short legs and pointed snouts. They also have thick coats of grayish-brown fur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kristofer<\/a>
Kristofer Helgen examines olinguito specimens. Photo provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Helgen conducted genetic testing and reviewed historical field data, eventually concluding that the museum specimens belonged to an unknown species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years following, Helgen decided to finally find out whether the species still existed in the wild. So he recruited the help of Kays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays had previously studied the behavior and ecology of olingos<\/a> in their natural habitat while completing his Ph.D. research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helgen and Kays, along with Ecuadorian zoologist Miguel Pinto, set off on a three-week field expedition in 2006 to the Andes mountains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day, the researchers hiked through a cloud forest during the nighttime hours in search of the unknown species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only took two days before the researchers found the animal climbing in the treetops of a forest on the western slopes of the Andes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe already knew when and where to look based on historical data, but the cloud forests have low visibility so we expected a challenge,\u201d Kays said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays and his collaborators spent the remainder of the trip studying the animal\u2019s ecology and behaviors, and documenting the other mammals of the forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Roland<\/a>
Roland Kays holds a tranquilized olinguito. Photo provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With their findings, the researchers mapped out the animal\u2019s predicted geographic distribution and reorganized the olingo genus into four species, including the olinguito. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in 2013, the researchers announced their discovery<\/a> of the olinguito, or the \u201clittle olingo,\u201d in the journal ZooKeys. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kays said the discovery of the olinguito was a career achievement, one rooted in his passion for studying tropical species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy undergraduate studies got me excited about doing work in the tropics, especially the unexplored tree canopy, and a lot of my graduate school work was related to that,\u201d Kays said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, \u201cTo actually discover and describe a new species from the tropical canopy was really exciting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery of the olinguito also represented a pivotal moment for wildlife conservation and continues to inspire local action, according to Kays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

South America has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, with Ecuador and Colombia losing more than 5 million acres since 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their study, Kays and his collaborators estimated that 42% of historic olinguito habitat had already been converted to agriculture or urban areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cloud<\/a>
More than 100,000 acres are cleared each year in the cloud forests of Ecuador. Photo via iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many organizations throughout Ecuador and Colombia have since used the olinguito to raise awareness about local habitat loss and to generate funding for wildlife conservation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur discovery of the olinguito helped to raise the profile of wildlife conservation in these countries,\u201d Kays said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the discovery, Kays said many scientists and local people have uploaded photos of the olinguito to iNaturalist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

iNaturalist allows people to upload photos of wildlife and other subjects to \u201cdiscuss, identify and create research-quality citizen science data.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a follow-up study, Kays and his collaborators used iNaturalist photos and other citizen science contributions to revise the map displaying the geographic range of the olinguito. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Kays doesn\u2019t have any immediate plans to conduct further research on the olinguito, he continues to monitor iNaturalist photos to ensure the animals are identified correctly.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The olinguito remains the only carnivore species to be discovered in the Americas in over four decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":29674,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"caption\":\"Olinguitos spend much of their time in the tree canopy of the cloud forests of the Andes mountains. Photo provided\",\"displayCategoryID\":111,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,1,102,3],"tags":[261,30,362,247],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-29667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fer-research","category-hidden-news","category-hidden-newswire","category-research-innovation","tag-fer-research","tag-fisheries-wildlife-and-conservation-biology","tag-forestry-and-environmental-resources","tag-wildlife-management-and-conservation-biology"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":111,"name":"Forestry and Environmental Resources Research","slug":"fer-research","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":111,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":3,"count":90,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29667"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29689,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29667\/revisions\/29689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29667"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=29667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}