A rat like creature the size of a cat is the latest ‘extinct’ animal to be found alive and well.

The Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat was first described by Hiram Bingham in the first half of the twentieth century. Hiram, who discovered the ‘lost’ Inca city of Machu Picchu dug up a pair of rodent schools from an Inca burial ground. The skulls were thought to belong to a creature that had become extinct at least 400 years before.

However in 2009, park ranger, Roberto Quispe claimed to have found a living arboreal chinchilla, prompting scientists to go and try and find the little furry fella. Now after extensive fieldwork a living specimen has indeed been found, confirming that although the species may be threatened they are not extinct.

They are however very good at hide and seek!