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Who knew rats could be so cute?

This new species, discovered in Indonesia, and dubbed the ‘hog-nosed rat’, is positively adorable.

The hyorhinomys stuempkei, to give it its typically tongue-twisting scientific name, is previously undocumented, according to a scientist who discovered it.

Mammal curator Kevin Rowe at Museum Victoria, in Australia, told the BBC: “We were on a mission to survey remote mountains in the area and to put evolution in Asia and Australia into context,” Mr Rowe said.

“Nothing is currently known about these rats and how widely they were distributed throughout the forests.”
Mr Rowe spent six weeks on Sulawesi island with other scientists from Australia, Indonesia and the US. In total they found five of the rats.

Remarkably, as soon as he spotted the rodent, he knew it hadn’t been documented before.

“We had been setting up overnight traps for a few days – that was when I stumbled upon a completely new rat,” he said.
“I hollered immediately for my colleagues as I knew it was a new species.”

“Last year we discovered amphibious and toothless rats on the island too. There is a remarkable morphological evolution going on there.

"Obviously its nostrils which resemble a hog’s, are very unique. But it also has a long face and larger ears for a rat of its size and lower teeth which are more in common with shrew rats,” he said.