New mice without molars, like worms

Scientists have discovered a mouse without molars. This is the only rodent ever known without chewing teeth.

The long-nosed rat is called Paucidentomys vermidax . Paucidentomy means 'little toothed mouse' , while vermidax means 'eating worms'.

'When we caught this mouse in the forest, we knew it was very different ,' said Jacob Esselstyn, a doctoral student in biology at McMaster University, Canada.

Esselstyn and colleagues said they had caught two such rats that were trapped on Sulawesi island in the Philippines.

The mouse species without the new molars were discovered. (Source: Livescience )

This rat species lives in humid, mossy forests. Scientists are still unclear whether the number of rats is abundant or not, because trapping is quite difficult. The stomach of one of the two mice caught was filled with worms and a few other things. This shows that their main food is worms.

The unique feature of Paucidentomys vermidax mouse is that they do not have molars. All other rats discovered so far have molars to crush food. Their front teeth are also different, because each tooth has two sharp ends, perhaps to cut the worms into several sections.

The close relative of this rat has molars. Therefore, perhaps they have lost their front teeth during evolution. The ability to grind and chew helps rodents become the most successful mammalian family on earth.

'This is a good example of how we still don't know enough about biodiversity on this planet ,' Esselstyn said.

The discovery was published in Biology Letter magazine on August 21.