An expedition to Indonesia led by researchers from the University of Oxford recorded four three-second clips of the mammal Attenborough’s long-billed echidna.
“I was ecstatic, the whole team was ecstatic,” Dr. James Kempton said. BBC News The moment he saw the supposedly extinct animal for the first time.
Until now, the only evidence of the existence of a specific species of Zaglossus attenboroughi has been a decades-old museum specimen of a dead animal.
62 years since the last time
The museum specimen was discovered in 1961, and today it is well-guarded at the Natural History Museum in the Netherlands.
So it has been 62 years since this species was last found.
Called porcupine in Norwegian, this species is a living fossil.
Scientists believe that it first appeared 200 million years ago, at the same time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Aside from the platypus, the anteater is the only mammal that lays eggs.
Plague: Like the platypus, Attenborough’s anteater also lays eggs. The platypus has a broad, duck-like bill and thrives best in rivers and lakes.
Photo: Reuters
It is named after Attenborough
The small animal with a long beak is named after my master. David Attenborough is credited with having made a strong contribution to public appreciation of the unique fauna and flora of Papua New Guinea.
His name: Attenborough’s long-billed platypus is named after him, sir. David Attenborough.
Photo: AP
Attenborough is known to most as the voice behind the BBC’s brilliant nature documentaries, such as Planet Earth and Blue Planet.
While Attenborough’s previous works focused more on the wonders of the natural world, he has recently become a powerful and important voice in the fight against climate change.
You will protect the area
In addition to finding Attenborough’s “lost porcupine,” the expedition discovered new species of insects and frogs, and observed healthy populations of tree kangaroos and birds of paradise.
Giant Mountains are too steep and dangerous to explore. To reach the highest heights, researchers had to climb narrow ridges of moss and tree roots.
Photo: Expedition Cyclops
The expedition team found several new species in the inaccessible mountainous region. This photo shows a large thorn.
The dense and powerful rainforest, filled with venomous snakes and blood-sucking leeches, created challenges for the expedition team.
A new type of terrestrial shrimp, found in the soil and trees of the Giant Mountains.
New species of insects and frogs were also found.
Attenborough’s porcupine was captured by a game camera on the last day of the expedition in the Cyclops Mountains.
Dr Kempton says he hopes the rediscovery of the anteater and other new species in the mountainous region will help preserve the Giant Mountains’ rainforests.
– Given that many of these rainforests have not yet been explored, what have we yet to discover?
– Dr. Kempton says the porcupine is a symbol of what we need to protect the rainforest.
Although critically endangered, the Attenborough’s anteater is not currently a protected species in Indonesia. Researchers do not know the size of the population, or whether it is sustainable.
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