Under a cover of darkness, an “elusive” creature with a “long” tail flew through a mountain forest in northern India — or tried to, at least. But something enveloped it and trapped it.

Scientists checked their net trap and found the “soft” animal. It turned out to be a new species.

A team of researchers visited over a dozen sites in Uttarakhand and the Western Himalayas between 2017 and 2021 to survey wildlife. The region is “one of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on Earth,” but sections of it remain “insufficiently” studied, according to a study published June 5 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.

During their surveys, researchers set up mist nets of various sizes and waited to see what flew into the traps, the study said. They also ventured into “confined spaces like tunne

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