Oryzomys peninsulae, also known as the Lower California rice rat, is a species of rodent from western Mexico. Restricted to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, it is a member of the genus Oryzomys of family Cricetidae. Twenty-one specimens of O. peninsulae are known, caught in 1896 and 1906 at two locations about 13 km (8 mi) apart along the Río San José, a river in southernmost Baja California Sur. Río San José no longer exists, having fallen prey to irrigation projects, and touristic development of its estuary has resulted in pollution. Biologists working in the area in 1979 and from 1991 to 1993 failed to find O. peninsulae, casting doubt on its continued existence. Medium in size for its genus, it was first described as a separate species, but later lumped into other widespread species until it was reinstated as separate in 2009. It is distinctive in fur color—grayish brown on the forequarters and reddish brown on the hindquarters—and in some dimensions of its skull (pictured), with a high braincase, robust zygomatic arches (cheekbones), and long incisive foramina (perforations of the palate between the incisors and the molars).

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

330:

The city of Byzantium was consecrated as Nova Roma, which became known as Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine the Great (mosaic pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople

1745:

War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands in present-day Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fontenoy

1889:

An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort resulted in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wham_Paymaster_Robbery

1946:

The United Malays National Organisation, today Malaysia's largest political party, was founded, originally to oppose the constitutional framework of the Malayan Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Malays_National_Organisation

2010:

David Cameron took office as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed the country's first coalition government since the Second World War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cameron

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

atheophobia: Fear or hatred of atheism or atheists. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atheophobia

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

 Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.   --Yagyū Munenori https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yagy%C5%AB_Munenori