Rare Discoveries in Southeast Asia Lead to Identifying Five Unique Hedgehog Species

The discovery of soft-furred hedgehog species not only demonstrates the gaps in our knowledge of wildlife but also underscores the importance of animal conservation efforts and how we understand diverse species in insufficiently-researched remote areas.

Recent research has led to the discovering five distinct species of silk-furred hedgehogs in Southeast Asia.

Two previously-unknown species have been found and three more elevated from their former subspecies status.

The study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, raises the sum of recognized species from two to seven.

Smooth-haired hedgehogs are a unique species within the hedgehog family, notable for their long, pointed snouts and fur-covered bodies, unlike their spiny counterparts. Their physical form is reminiscent of a mouse-shrew hybrid, including a short tail. These small mammals' diet consist of insects, various invertebrates and fruit. They are active during the day and at night.

Scientists discover two new species of soft-furred hedgehogs

© Photo : Twitter

H. macarong, a recent addition to the list of new species, is remarkable for its extended fangs. The inspiration for its name comes from the Vietnamese word for vampire. The creature, indigenous to the southern regions of Vietnam, can be identified by its dark brown fur and roughly 14cm in size.

The second newly identified species, H. vorax, is smaller in size at 12cm and has a unique appearance with dark brown fur, a black tail and a very slender snout. It was discovered in Northern Sumatra's Mount Leuser and was named in 1939 by mammalogist Frederick Ulmer for its excessive appetite.

Arlo Hinckley, the study's lead researcher and a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the University of Seville, stressed the significance of this research for conservation efforts.

He pointed out that finding new mammalian species, especially small nocturnal ones, shows the significant gaps in our knowledge of wildlife. The study examined 232 physical specimens and analyzed 85 tissue samples, using resources from 14 natural history collections in Asia, Europe and the US.