''Isothrix barbarabrownae'' is a recently discovered species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s of the spiny rat family

Echimyidae Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to terres ...

Discovery

It was discovered in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and is about the same size as a large squirrel, such as a

Eurasian red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

. It is brown, with a black-and-white tail. It inhabits the Peruvian

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

, where it forages for fruit and nuts. It is a nocturnal, climbing rodent which was collected by scientists in 1999, and formally described in 2006. It is named after the biologist and curator,

Barbara Elaine Russell Brown Barbara Elaine Russell Brown (February 14, 1929 - January 7, 2019) was an American biologist and philanthropist. Personal life Brown was born Barbara Russell, on 14 February 1929 in Chicago; her parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania and ...

References

Isothrix Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 2006 {{Echimyidae-stub