Researchers from UNC Greensboro discovered a new-to-science mammal hiding in plain sight—in Idaho, in fact. The newly described species is a squirrel, the Snake River Plains ground squirrel (Urocitellus idahoensis), and it lives in southern Idaho’s Snake River Plain.
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Scientists used to think the Snake River Plains ground squirrel was a subspecies of the Piute ground squirrel, but their genome told a different story. The new squirrel is its own species and lives in a relatively small area, “below the mountains of Idaho but above the Snake River.”
Researchers published a study about the new species in December, sharing the cute little squirrel’s identity and new common name with the world. Their work proves that there are still many surprises about the natural world waiting for humans to discover.
See the new squirrel species discovered in Idaho here: