The Malagasy mountain mouse (Monticolomys koopmani) is a small mouse-
like rodent of the family Nesomyidae. Found in the highlands of eastern
Madagascar (map pictured), it is dark brown on the upperparts and dark
gray below. It has small, rounded, densely haired ears and broad feet
with well-developed pads. The long tail lacks a tuft at the tip. The
skull is delicate and lacks crests and ridges on its roof. First
collected in 1929, the Malagasy mountain mouse was not formally
described until 1996, but it is now known to have a broad distribution.
Active during the night in trees and on the ground, the species occurs
in both montane forest and human-disturbed grasslands, and feeds on
fruits and seeds. Although habitat destruction may pose a threat, it is
classified as a species of least concern. Monticolomys means "mountain-
dwelling mouse", and koopmani honors Karl Koopman for his contributions
to mammalian systematics.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_mountain_mouse>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1918:
An ammunition plant in Sayreville, New Jersey, U.S., exploded,
killing around 100 people and destroying more than 300 buildings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._A._Gillespie_Company_Shell_Loading_Plant_explosion>
1957:
Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1 (replica pictured), the first
artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched by an R-7 rocket
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1>
1958:
The current Constitution of France was signed into law,
establishing the French Fifth Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Fifth_Republic>
2010:
The dam holding a waste reservoir in western Hungary collapsed,
freeing one million m3 (1,300,000 yd3) of red mud, which flooded nearby
communities and killed ten people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajka_alumina_plant_accident>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wasm:
(humorous) A doctrine, ideology, rule, or theory that is no longer
current or fashionable.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wasm>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment
of its criminals.
--Rutherford B. Hayes
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes>