ABILENE, Texas — It's not everyday a new animal species is discovered, but that's exactly what happened to a biology professor at Abilene Christian University.
Back in 2010, Dr. Tom Lee was traveling in the Andes Mountain in Ecuador when he found a new rat species in Sangay National Park.
Lee, who has been a professor and mammologist at ACU for 28 years, named the rat Thomasomys burneoi after his colleague Santiago Burneo who was part of the discovery process.
Now, 12 years after the original finding, Lee's article about the new species was published in a scientific journal called Vertebrate Zoology as well as a newspaper in Singapore titled Straits Times.
Once the species was officially determined to be previously undiscovered, the publishing process began. Lee realized the rat was unlike others he had seen before and now his discovery can be shared with the world.
"I encountered the species a pretty long time ago," Lee said. "But because this is a new species, it was very difficult to nail down what it was."
He added, "This speaks to the fact that we're doing research at a really high level."
Lee has been to Ecuador numerous times with various colleagues, including Angelo State University biology professor Dr. Bob Dowler.
He also travels with ACU biology students and he holds the title of Dr. Clark Stevens Endowed Professorship, as well.
Lee has actually discovered four new species in Ecuador and his impact is now being shared with a wider audience.
