The Search for Olinguito

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In the dark, Kristofer Helgen and a group of scientists peered up into the treetops of the Ecuadorian cloud forest. Staring back at them was a furry, four-legged creature. Could it be the mysterious, wild olinguito?





Helgen had been studying the olingo, a relative of raccoons, for years. As he examined their pelts and skulls in museums, he noticed differences in a few. Through scientific investigating, he realized the different examples weren't olingos at all-he had discovered a completely new species.





Next, he just had to find it-if it still existed. Follow Helgen's real-life science adventure through museums, laboratories, and the cloud forest as he makes an exciting modern discovery.
"'Nothing new under the sun,' goes the old saying, but apparently there is. Consider the first 'new' carnivore spotted in the Americas in 35 years-the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), a small furry member of the raccoon family, hiding in plain sight (though nocturnal in nature) in the Ecuadorian rain forest. Markle, impressed by the announcement of the new species in 2013, set off on her own expedition of research, contacting Kristofer Helgen and assistants Roland Kays and Miguel Pinto to document the discovery. Her lucid, brief text records the 10-plus years from Helgen's first observation of a discrepancy in a preserved specimen at the Chicago Field Museum to the big reveal at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, in 2013. With color photos, maps, a raccoon 'family album,' and some tips on scientific investigation, this is a fascinating glimpse into the long process in the lab and in the field to document the search for actual proof of a new species. VERDICT: This quick but wondrous look at the scientific search for the olinguito is an excellent addition to science collections."-starred, School Library Journal
"A species of mammal newly identified through museum research is found in the wild in Ecuador. Comparing olingo pelts and skulls at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Kristofer Helgen found a set that didn't match. Continuing his museum investigations around the world, he found similar specimens in four other collections. DNA testing showed that it was, indeed, a different species, which he named olinguito, 'little olingo.' One such animal had lived and died in captivity in the 1970s, but did they still exist in the wild? In this latest title, science educator Markle provides a stellar description of a long-term scientific investigation involving research in museums, in laboratories, and in the field. Her clear, well-organized text introduces the scientific question, describes the research, and introduces the newest member of the raccoon family. A two-page spread describes other family members, and there are numerous well-captioned photographs of this appealing new addition as well as American (mostly white) and Ecuadorian scientists at work. She makes clear that these animals were known to local people all along; it was scientists who were surprised. Attractive design and thoughtful backmatter complete the package, a nice complement to Lulu Delacre's description of the olinguito's native cloud forest, ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z!/Olinguito, from A to Z! A compelling account of the solution of a scientific mystery."-starred, Kirkus Reviews
"At the opening of the twenty-first century, scientists were uncertain whether olingos, racoon-like forest dwellers, comprised one or more than one species. As researcher Kristofer Helgen investigated this issue, he stumbled upon pelts and skulls stored in various natural history museums that pointed to a related but separate problem: perhaps some of the remains labeled as olingos were actually another mammal entirely. Markle focuses on the decade where Helgen began studying the animals in museum storage, determined t