In a remarkable scientific breakthrough, a long-lost species of mammal that was thought to have been extinct for 60 years has been rediscovered in the remote Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia. This elusive creature, called Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna and named after renowned British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, was photographed for the first time in the wild by a camera set up on an expedition in June and July.
The international team in Papua, Indonesia, endured a four-week expedition that took them through previously unexplored territory. The explorers faced multiple challenges, including a deadly malaria outbreak and an earthquake. They were also forced to navigate treacherous terrain that involved climbing narrow ridges with cliffs on either side and often in heavy rain. The researchers deployed over 80 cameras to capture this unique mammal, which has features like spiky fur and a bird-like beak and is a member of a mammal group that dates back 200 million years.
On the last day of their expedition, with just a few images left on the final memory card, biologist James Kempton of Oxford University retrieved the shots that captured Attenborough’s long-beaked mammal – the first photographs ever taken of the iconic animal. Initially, the feeling was “just intense relief,” says Kempton. “But instantaneously afterward, it was a sense of euphoria.”
Attenborough’s long-beaked is one of only five mammal species belonging to the monotremes, a distinct group of egg-laying mammals that separated from the rest of the mammal tree-of-life over 200 million years ago. The monotremes include well-known mammals such as the platypus and echidna and more obscure animals like the koala, wombat, and bettong.
Unlike other mammal species that use their beaks to dig and eat, Attenborough’s long-beaked uses its beak to eject a whitish powder from its cheeks as it forages in the forest. This powder is thought to help it avoid predators. The researchers hope that this rediscovered mammal will provide new insight into the ecology of the endemic Cyclops Mountains and can guide conservation efforts for this critically endangered species.
The rediscovery of this long-beaked echidna highlights the importance of continued exploration to uncover unknown creatures and the need to protect wild places such as the Cyclops Mountains to preserve global biodiversity. The EDGE team hopes that this discovery will encourage people to visit the region and work with local communities to safeguard the conservation of this remarkable area and its wildlife.
