A pangolin collected in 1836 sat unnoticed in a museum for nearly 190 years until its DNA revealed a new species
- A nearly 190-year-old pangolin specimen sitting on a museum shelf in London has helped scientists confirm the existence of a distinct pangolin species living in Nepal and northern India.
- Researchers used DNA extracted from the historic specimen, originally collected in 1836, to settle a long-standing taxonomic debate over whether the Himalayan pangolin was simply a subspecies of the Chinese pangolin or a separate species altogether.
- The findings, published in the journal Communications Biology, confirm that the animal should be classified as Manis aurita, restoring a name first given to it nea
Unverified
- A nearly 190-year-old pangolin specimen sitting on a museum shelf in London has helped scientists confirm the existence of a distinct pangolin species living in Nepal and northern India.
- Researchers used DNA extracted from the historic specimen, originally collected in 1836, to settle a long-standing taxonomic debate over whether the Himalayan pangolin was simply a subspecies of the Chinese pangolin or a separate species altogether.
- The findings, published in the journal Communications Biology, confirm that the animal should be classified as Manis aurita, restoring a name first given to it nea
Sources: Times of India