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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
CHENGDU, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of ferret in a national nature reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province and named it Mustela mopbie, according to the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The scientists reported their discovery this month in the international peer-reviewed journal Journal of Systematics and Evolution.
In July and August 2024, a joint expedition team including researchers from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, West China Normal University, and Sichuan University collected three ferret specimens during a small mammal biodiversity survey in the Dafengding National Nature Reserve, located in Mabianyi Autonomous County, Sichuan.
A comprehensive analysis of genomic and morphological data led researchers to confirm the discovery of a new species. Mustela mopbie, as the researchers named it, is small in size and capable of penetrating narrow crevices and caves to catch insects and small rodents, a characteristic of this species.
The discovery of Mustela mopbie provides important information about species diversity within this group, and opens up new perspectives on how small predators adapt to different habitats through genetic variation in complex environmental conditions, the researchers believe.
The researchers' work has once again confirmed the great value of the Hengduan Range region, especially the mountains surrounding the Sichuan Basin, for the conservation and research of biodiversity worldwide. -0-
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