Photo: Mystery swamp-beast identified in Madagascar
Durrell’s vontsira (Salanoia durrelli). © Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of carnivore lurking in one of the world’s most endangered lakes.
Durrell’s vontsira (Salanoia durrelli), named in honor of the late conservationist and writer Gerald Durrell, was first photographed swimming in Madagascar’s Lake Alaotra in 2004. Subsequent surveys by scientists at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Natural History Museum, London, Nature Heritage, Jersey, and Conservation International confirmed the mongoose-like creature was indeed a new species.
