Macrotarsomys petteri, Petter's big-footed mouse, is a Malagasy rodent. It is the largest in its genus, with a head and body length of 150 mm (5.9 in) and body mass of 105 g (3.7 oz). The upperparts are brown, darkest in the middle of the back, and the underparts are white to yellowish. The animal has long whiskers, short forelimbs, and long hindfeet. The tail ends in a prominent tuft of long, light hairs. The skull is robust and the molars are low-crowned and cuspidate. The species most resembles, and may be most closely related to, the greater big-footed mouse. The specific name, petteri, honors French zoologist François Petter for his contributions to the study of Malagasy rodents. M. petteri is now found only in southwestern Madagascar's Mikea Forest, which is threatened by human development. Subfossil records indicate that it used to be more widely distributed in southern Madagascar; climatic changes and competition with introduced species may have led to the shift in its distribution.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrotarsomys_petteri

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

313:

The Edict of Milan, an agreement between Constantine the Great and Licinius to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire, was posted in Nicomedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Milan

1881:

An Arctic Ocean ice pack crushed the USS Jeannette during its expedition to the North Pole. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jeannette_(1878)

1944:

Second World War: During the Battle of Villers-Bocage, German tank commander Michael Wittmann personally destroyed dozens of Allied vehicles in less than 15 minutes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Wittmann

1981:

English teenager Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II as she rode down The Mall to the Trooping the Colour ceremony. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Sarjeant

2007:

Former Iraqi government official Haitham al-Badri orchestrated a second bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_al-Askari_mosque_bombing

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

leapfrog: 1. (transitive) To jump over some obstacle, as in the game of leapfrog. 2. (transitive) To overtake. 3. (intransitive) To progress. 4. (transitive, chiefly Britain, law) Of a case: to appeal or allow to be appealed directly to a supreme court, bypassing an intermediate appellate court. 5. (transitive, military) To advance by engaging the enemy with one unit while another moves further forward. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leapfrog

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

A lofty morality should be tolerant, for none declare its laws but those worn out with its warfare, and they must pity sinners.   --The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_William_Butler_Yeats