Take THAT, skeptics: The largest land mammal in decades has just been uncovered

For years, the Bigfoot deniers have said that they'd believe there is such thing as a Bigfoot if only we hadn't found every large animal there is earth. Skeptics are wrong about this -- there are still many large animals out there that's really good at hiding. Cryptozoology about the study of hidden animals and it's all to easy to dismiss things based on the lack of physical evidence. We believe if you give researchers enough time, they will eventually produce something awesome, like a photograph you can't deny. For example, take a good look at the animal in the photo above. That. My friends is a trail cam photograph of Tapirus kabomani, or the Kobomani tapir. It is the fifth tapir found in the world and the first to be discovered since 1865. According to the Journal of Mammology, it is also the first mammal in the order Perissodactyla (which includes tapirs, rhinos, and horses) found in over a hundred years. Scientists are saying this is the largest land mammal to be uncovered in decades. The website, Mongabay, describes how they uncovered the animal:

Found inhabiting open grasslands and forests in the southwest Amazon (the Brazilian states of Rondônia and Amazonas, as well as the Colombian department of Amazonas), the new species is regularly hunted by the Karitiana tribe who call it the "little black tapir." The new species is most similar to the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), but sports darker hair and is significantly smaller: while a Brazilian tapir can weigh up to 320 kilograms (710 pounds), the Kabomani weighs-in around 110 kilograms (240 pounds). Given its relatively small size it likely won't be long till conservationists christen it the pygmy or dwarf tapir. It also has shorter legs, a distinctly-shaped skull, and a less prominent crest.

"[Indigenous people] traditionally reported seeing what they called 'a different kind of anta [tapir in Portuguese].' However, the scientific community has never paid much attention to the fact, stating that it was always the same Tapirus terrestris," explains lead author Mario Cozzuol, the paleontologist who first started investigating the new species ten years ago. "They did not give value to local knowledge and thought the locals were wrong. Knowledge of the local community needs to be taken into account and that's what we did in our study, which culminated in the discovery of a new species to science."

The story of this discovery is just one more reason for Bigfooters to keep on searching. To learn more about this fascinating creature, check out the full article over at Mongabay: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1216-hance-new-tapir-kabomani.html