A University of Wisconsin Oshkosh biology professor says he had no idea when he first captured a chipmunk-size opossum in Panama 20 years ago how significant it was. Professor Greg Adler says he was capturing a lot of mouse opossums, which were common and widespread throughout forested parts of central Panama. But there was one captured in a national park that was different. Adler says he wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t find out until last year when he received a message from the curator of the American Museum of Natural History mammalogy department. Turns out the opossum was an entirely new species. Adler says in his field work around the world he had always hoped he would discover a new species, but thought the least likely place would be central Panama because that area has been thoroughly sampled. He says it’s astounding it escaped discovery for so long. The new species is featured in the December 8 issue of American Museum Novitates and is named Marmosa adleri, which is Latin for Adler’s mouse opossum.
