Fossil Rock Rat Pictured AliveFossil Rock Rat Pictured AliveImages have been obtained of a live Laotian rock rat, the animal science now believes to be the sole survivor of an ancient group of rodents.The kha-nyou, as it is known locally, was trapped by an expedition in May.The pictures show a friendly, furry creature about the size of a squirrel that waddles a bit like a duck.Experts say the kha-nyou can trace its line to a rodent family that initial studies had suggested became extinct more than 11 million years ago.The expedition to central Laos was led by a retired Florida State University scientist, David Redfield.“We were extremely fortunate in so many ways to be able to do this,” he said of the discovery. “Its easily one of the most gratifying experiences of my life, and I hope these pictures will help in some way to prevent the loss of this marvellous animal.”
”I hope this picture will continue to be a great source of inspiration, for I am confident in my ability to recreate that original creature and its legendary life experiences,„.
The image on the left is of the first photo of a female of the group. You can’t miss the cute female. But the female’s face is just too cute. Another view from inside the enclosure shows a new female. She has a big round eyes, and a little bit of fur.‟
†She had been in the wild since she was about 10, but when an expedition was made to the country about 5,000 years ago, she found a nice new home in the jungle.It was during this time that the animals were first captured and their lives became important. When one of them finally moved out of the jungle, the world fell in love with its new home.The kha-nyou was later used to hunt fish in the wild and to feed on a variety of foodstuffs.It is unknown whether the animals will eventually return to their natural habitat or return to the wild.‡
A couple of days ago yesterday, a man came along here near the island and asked me for help in finding his last remaining kha-nyou. His name was Sajamoul-Khiye, and his family lived just over 200 km to the north of Laos, at the point where they crossed the river in the spring of 1995.He asked whether it was possible for his family to get home from the jungle if they were still trying to get there. I would like to say that we could return to our original destination, but to make that happen, we would take the last kha-nyou. He was very friendly, and seemed to take a good look at everything I offered, but he was also very concerned about the safety of the animal.I think he had little concern for his own welfare, because when that kha-nyou came home and was immediately sent out of the water for good, the other male brought a small piece of meat.The kha-nyou was so hot when he was in the water it started to smell like feces. He was very thirsty and didn’t want to get into the river with the kha-nyou. He told me he could go into the river and get as much food as he wanted without giving in to any of my suspicions.He also gave me instructions on how to use a few of the items in the back of the boat.I don’t know what he planned to do, but I do believe that he started the kha-nyou by biting at its belly, and if he did that, that might have been enough for him. I believe that the male was able to grab the tail of the kha-nyou by its body, and then he continued his attack and pulled it up toward him.I decided to go out on top of the kha-nyou to catch in the water so that it could be taken to another animal, because I felt that it would cause too much suffering. I came back home late and did just that.I went out of the boat to my mom’s house, and my uncle came out and said I had to
”I hope this picture will continue to be a great source of inspiration, for I am confident in my ability to recreate that original creature and its legendary life experiences,„.
The image on the left is of the first photo of a female of the group. You can’t miss the cute female. But the female’s face is just too cute. Another view from inside the enclosure shows a new female. She has a big round eyes, and a little bit of fur.‟
†She had been in the wild since she was about 10, but when an expedition was made to the country about 5,000 years ago, she found a nice new home in the jungle.It was during this time that the animals were first captured and their lives became important. When one of them finally moved out of the jungle, the world fell in love with its new home.The kha-nyou was later used to hunt fish in the wild and to feed on a variety of foodstuffs.It is unknown whether the animals will eventually return to their natural habitat or return to the wild.‡
A couple of days ago yesterday, a man came along here near the island and asked me for help in finding his last remaining kha-nyou. His name was Sajamoul-Khiye, and his family lived just over 200 km to the north of Laos, at the point where they crossed the river in the spring of 1995.He asked whether it was possible for his family to get home from the jungle if they were still trying to get there. I would like to say that we could return to our original destination, but to make that happen, we would take the last kha-nyou. He was very friendly, and seemed to take a good look at everything I offered, but he was also very concerned about the safety of the animal.I think he had little concern for his own welfare, because when that kha-nyou came home and was immediately sent out of the water for good, the other male brought a small piece of meat.The kha-nyou was so hot when he was in the water it started to smell like feces. He was very thirsty and didn’t want to get into the river with the kha-nyou. He told me he could go into the river and get as much food as he wanted without giving in to any of my suspicions.He also gave me instructions on how to use a few of the items in the back of the boat.I don’t know what he planned to do, but I do believe that he started the kha-nyou by biting at its belly, and if he did that, that might have been enough for him. I believe that the male was able to grab the tail of the kha-nyou by its body, and then he continued his attack and pulled it up toward him.I decided to go out on top of the kha-nyou to catch in the water so that it could be taken to another animal, because I felt that it would cause too much suffering. I came back home late and did just that.I went out of the boat to my mom’s house, and my uncle came out and said I had to
The kha-nyou was picked up near the village of Doy, close to the Thai border. It was released back into the wild after being photographed and videoed.Chinese clueNow classified as Laonastes aenigmamus, the animal first caught the eye of international researchers last year in a hunters market – dead specimens were on sale.
Based on differences in the skull, teeth, bones and other body features together with DNA analysis, scientists initially put the creature in an entirely new rodent family more closely related to rodents in Africa and South America than in Asia.
Laotian rock rats on a table (Peter Clyne)