A Ray of Sunshine in Cyprus?

Yesterday, I wrote about the new bird species discovered in Columbia. Today, it is Cyprus' turn to take the spotlight as home to a newly discovered species.

In this case, the species is a mouse, not a bird. The Cypriot Mouse (mus cypriancus) is a bit of a throw back to extinct species of mice. In fact, one report refers to it as a 'living fossil' because its head, eyes, and teeth are larger than other European species of mice and pre-date more common European mice.

In some ways, the discovery of a new mammalian species in Europe seems even more remarkable than discoveries of birds and monkeys in remote parts of South America. Given how long scientists have been classifying species in Europe, it is amazing that the Cypriot Mouse was not discovered sooner. Having said that, the scientists who discovered the species did not actually classify it as a new species until DNA tests proved it was more than just a sub-population of other European species.

Once again, nature has surprised me with its unexpected diversity. One can only hope that we start doing a better job of taking care of the environment so that these new discoveries -- as well as all other species -- can continue to survive.