The hedgehog family tree is getting a few more branches as 2023 comes to an end. A groundbreaking study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society on December 21 has revealed the existence of five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs in Southeast Asia. These new species were discovered through DNA analysis and examination of decades-old museum specimens.
[Related: Learn more about the fascinating journey of Danish citizen scientists in search of the oldest European hedgehog.]
Fur, not spines
The little-known soft-furred hedgehogs, also known as gymnures, are members of the hedgehog family. Distinguished by their soft fur instead of spines, they have captured the curiosity of scientists. Unlike rodents, hedgehogs have a pointed snout, resembling their close relatives. Initially believed to be only two species, this new study has expanded discovery to seven unique species of soft-furred hedgehogs.
The newly-discovered species belong to the Hylomys genus, a subgroup of soft-furred hedgehogs native to Southeast Asia. Among them, two are entirely new species. They are named Hylomys vorax and Hylomys macarong, and are found exclusively in the endangered and highly biodiverse tropical rainforest of North Sumatra and Southern Vietnam, known as the Leuser ecosystem.
“It might be surprising for people to hear that there are still undiscovered mammals out there. But there is a lot we don’t know—especially the smaller nocturnal animals that can be difficult to tell apart from one another.”
-Evolutionary biologist Arlo Hinckley
H. macarong has dark brown fur and is about 5.5 inches long. It was named for a Vietnamese word for vampire–Ma cà rồng–since the males have fang-like incisors. Further field study is needed to figure out the purpose of these fangs, but their larger size suggests a potential role in sexual selection. Male individuals also possess rust-colored chest markings, possibly stained by scent glands.
H. vorax is slightly smaller, measuring 4.7 inches in length, and also has dark fur. It possesses a black tail and a very narrow snout. Believed to exclusively inhabit the slopes of Mount Leuser in Northern Sumatra, it is named after a description by mammalogist Frederick Ulmer who documented the species during an expedition to Sumatra in 1939.
“They were voracious beasts often devouring the whole bait before springing the trap,” Ulmer wrote. “Ham rind, coconut, meat, and walnuts were eaten. One shrew partially devoured the chicken head bait of a steel trap before getting caught in a nearby Schuyler trap baited with ham rind.”
The other three have been promoted from subspecies up to species. A subspecies is a smaller group within a species that is genetically distinct from other groups within the same species.
