Cuscomys oblativus known as the Machu Picchu Arboreal Chinchilla Rat, is a large species of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

n chinchilla rat

Chinchilla rat

Chinchilla rats or chinchillones are members of the family Abrocomidae. This family has few members compared to most rodent families with only 9 known living species. They resemble Chinchillas in appearance, with a similar soft fur and silvery-grey color, but have a body-structure more like a...

, known from remains found in 1912, buried alongside people in ancient Inca tombs at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...

 in Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

. Although considered extinct by the IUCN, photos of a rodent taken at Machu Picchu in late 2009 likely show this species.

Originally assigned to the genus Abrocoma

Abrocoma

Abrocoma is a genus of abrocomid rodents found in the Andes of South America, from southern Peru to central Chile. The genus contains eight species, most of which are found in isolated mountain ranges in northwestern Argentina.- Species :...

, recent studies showed it to be more closely allied to Cuscomys ashaninka

Cuscomys ashaninka

The Asháninka Arboreal Chinchilla Rat is a large species of chinchilla rat from the Andes of far northern Cusco in Peru. It was only scientifically described in 1999. The animal has grey fur, with a white nose and lips, and a line of white fur running down its head...

, a species unknown to science until 1999.