Dec 14, 2009, 19:43 PM by User Not Found

New giant rat species discovered
LONDON, England (CNN)

Scientists have discovered a new species of giant rat in a remote rainforest in Papua New Guinea.

The newly discovered rat is similar
in size and weight to this one found
by scientists in 2007.

Measuring 82 centimeters (32.2 inches) from nose to tail and weighing around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds), the species is thought to be one of the largest rats ever to be found.

The discovery was made by a team from the BBC Natural History Unit inside the crater of Mount Bosavi -- an extinct volcano in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea.

"This is one of the world's largest rats. It's a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers," said Kristofer Helgen, a biologist from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who was part of the expedition team.

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