It's the size of a cat and looks like an oversized guinea pig, but the James Bond hutia has managed to avoid detection until now
Presented by
Melissa Hogenboom
A new cat-sized rodent has been discovered on the Caribbean island Hispaniola.
It weighs more than a kilogram, and has soft-brown fur and a short tail. It is also nocturnal and lives in small burrows or caves, which might explain why it has avoided detection for so long.
Its name: Bond, James Bond. Or at least that's the version that rolls off the tongue. Its scientific classification is Plagiodontia aedium bondi.
This may require some explanation.
James Bond was a real-life ornithologist based in the Caribbean. When Ian Fleming created his fictional master of sneak, he took his name from the ornithologist.
Bond discovered that there was a barrier running across Hispaniola, on either side of which the animals are noticeably different.
Centuries ago, there was a shallow sea channel running across the island, which prevented animals from moving freely. The barrier became known as "Bond's line".
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