In the Yayu Reserve in southwestern Ethiopia, researchers caught three specimens of a rodent last seen in 1927. This case prompts reflection: how reliable are our conclusions about species extinction when nature is capable of hiding its secrets even in a landscape altered by humans.
The Ethiopian amphibious rat (Nilopegamys plumbeus) is known to science from a single specimen collected by the American zoologist Wilfred Osgood in a mountain stream of the northwestern highlands. Since then, numerous expeditions have yielded no results, and the species was classified as "critically endangered, possibly extinct." The main reason is habitat loss due to livestock grazing and agriculture, which have turned riverbanks into pastures.
The new finds occurred in a completely different region — approximately 350 kilometers from the historical site. The animals were caught in traps during a biodiversity survey in the Yayu Biosphere Reserve, where a stream flows near a village whose residents wash clothes. The external features — large eyes, brown coloration and adaptations to a semi-aquatic lifestyle — matched the description from 1928. Genetic analysis is still to be carried out, but even now the discovery gives hope for the species' conservation.
This rodent is one of the most aquatic among African murids: it feeds on insects in murky water, and its large brain is probably linked precisely to this ecology. Until now, almost nothing has been known about its habits. The new specimens will make it possible to study its behavior, reproduction and precise environmental requirements, which is critical for planning conservation measures.
The case shows how protected areas can serve as a last refuge even for species considered lost. Continuing systematic surveys in such places helps not only to record rare finds but also to adjust strategies for protecting ecosystems as a whole.
Regular field research in protected areas remains the key to timely detection of surviving populations of rare species.
