Meet the Olinguito, the Newly Discovered Animal Whose Natural Habitat Is “Cloud Forest”

Via the Washington Post:

Amid the misty treetops and giant tomato-size figs in the Andean cloud forests, the researchers spotted the animal the first night. “It sort of bounced around the trees almost like a monkey,” zoologist Roland Kays said, “doing its thing, eating the figs.”

The small, bushy-tailed, rust-colored furry mammal they named the olinguito was a rare find — the first new carnivore species found in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.

I was looking at this thinking, “What if this is a PR hoax,” which is very cynical and not fair to the super-cute new olinguito! Olinguitos, we’re giving you a round of applause for finally coming down from the cloud forest.

Photo by Mark Gurney.