Photo: Olinguito, First Carnivore Species Discovered in American Continent in 35 Years

Photo: Olinguito, First Carnivore Species Discovered in American Continent in 35 Years
In this handout photo provided by Smithsonian, an olinguito, a new species of Carnivore which has been newly discovered, is seen in an undated photo. (Mark Gurney/ Smithsonian/Getty Images)
8/15/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

A new species of mammal called the olinguito was discovered by researchers, according to reports on Thursday.

A researcher with the Smithsonian said that it lives in mountainous forests of Columbia and Ecuador.

The animal is about the size of a raccoon or a cat, and it is in the same family.

Smithsonian scientists said the animal is active during the night, is a carnivore, but eats mainly fruit.

“You have not seen an animal quite like this before,” Kris Helgen, with the Smthsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, told USA Today in Washington, D.C.

Helgen noted that the mammal “was completely overlooked by all zoologists until now.”