Rainforest mammal surprise

Amidst a trickle of new species continually discovered in the heart of Borneo came a flash of excitement last autumn when a World Wildlife Fund camera trap in an Indonesian national park on the island photographed an small fox-like animal of unknown species, which was published last month. But before scientists might identify it, the dark red creature is already threatened by a proposed palm oil plantation that would be the world's largest. The camera trap is an everyday camera armed with infrared sensors that take pictures whenever they sense movement in the forest. The animal was captured on film twice at night in the dense forests of Kayan Metarang National Park in Kalimantan, Indonesia, inhabited by one of the most diverse collections of species in the world. " We showed the photos of the animal to locals who know the wildlife of the area, but nobody had ever seen this creature before, " said Stephen Wulffraat, a biologist who is coordinating WWF's research on this species. " We also consulted several Bornean wildlife experts and most were convinced it was a new species, " Wulffraat said. The researchers will set cage traps in the coming months in the hope of finding out more about this creature, which is slightly larger than a domestic cat with dark red fur and a long, bushy tail. WWF says the unknown animal might remain a mystery forever if its habitat is not adequately protected. Kayan Mentarang National Park is located in the heart of Borneo, a mountainous rainforest region that is threatened by a proposed palm oil plantation that would clear 6,949 square miles — an area half the size of the Netherlands. This mountainous region still holds vast stretches of forest, where threatened species such as orangutans and the Borneo bay cat live, and 14 out of the island's 20 major rivers originate. WWF says new species have been discovered there at the rate of three per month over the past 10 years, making the area one of the richest on Earth in terms of biodiversity. In a report released earlier this year, the WWF said that much of the island's wildlife has yet to be closely studied by scientists. And the 361 new species discovered there over the past decade attest to that. The new discovery " highlights the urgent need to conserve the unique forests in the heart of Borneo. …