Science is golden - and rodent

The Paper of Record, The New York Times, has a story about the discovery of a previously unknown type of rodent in Laos. Called the "kha-nyou," or the more English-friendly Laotian rock rat, the "new" animal has long whiskers, short legs, and a long furry tail, but "are definitely not rats or squirrels, and are only vaguely like a guinea pig or a chinchilla." The article also says that the kha-nyou is commonly seen in its lifeless state in Laotian food markets, but there's nothing about whether they are selling Quarter Kha-Nyous at the local McDonalds.

Here is a sketch of the curious critter:



Y'know, this sounds like a cliché, but this actually does look like a guy I went to school with. And no, I'm not saying who. :)