ON THIS DAY AUGUST 15 2023

This Day in History: August 15

Featured Event

2013


Scientists at the Smithsonian announced the discovery of the olinguito, “the first carnivore species to be discovered in the American continents in 35 years”; the small arboreal animals live in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.



olingo, (genus Bassaricyon), also called cuataquil, any of six species of small arboreal carnivores of the raccoon family, Procyonidae, found in the jungles of Central and northern South America. Olingos are slender, grayish brown animals 35–50 cm (14–20 inches) long, excluding the bushy, faintly ringed tail, which accounts for an additional 40–50 cm. They have soft fur, pointed muzzles, and rounded ears. They resemble kinkajous but are less stocky and have narrower snouts and longer-haired, nonprehensile tails. Olingos are nocturnal, often travel in small groups, and feed primarily on fruit. Little else is known of their habits.


The olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), first described in 2013, can be distinguished from other olingos by its habitat and appearance. Olinguitos are residents of the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador and make their homes at altitudes between 1,530 and 2,740 metres (approximately 5,000 and 9,000 feet), whereas other olingos live at lower altitudes. In addition, olinguitos possess reddish brown skins with long fur, compared with the shorter gray fur of other olingo species.


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Featured Biography

Jennifer Lawrence
American actress




Jennifer Lawrence, in full Jennifer Shrader Lawrence, (born August 15, 1990, Indian Hills, northeast of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.), American actress who was known for her versatility on-screen and her accessible, honest off-screen persona. At the age of 22 she won the Academy Award for best actress for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
Lawrence knew from an early age that she wanted to act, and she began performing in school plays and local theatre in Louisville, Kentucky. At the age of 14, in 2005, hoping to break into acting and modeling, she went with her mother to New York City to visit talent agencies. While there, she was discovered by a talent scout and subsequently auditioned for his agency. She spent the summer of that year in New York, performing small acting roles and modeling for advertisements. On the basis of that success, after Lawrence’s early graduation from high school, the family moved to Los Angeles to allow her to further her career.

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