Rare egg-laying mammal rediscovered in Indonesia
Rare egg-laying mammal rediscovered in Indonesia
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/9066564
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/9066278
Scientists have rediscovered a long-lost species of mammal described as having the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the feet of a mole, in Indonesia's Cyclops Mountains more than 60 years after it was last recorded.
The species has only been scientifically recorded once before, by a Dutch botanist in 1961.
Wonder if anyone believed them at the time (especially after years of not finding one).
He's still out there with his blimp and hounds.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Scientists have rediscovered a long-lost species of mammal described as having the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the feet of a mole, in Indonesia's Cyclops Mountains more than 60 years after it was last recorded.
Having descended from the mountains at the end of the trip, biologist James Kempton found the images of the small creature walking through the forest undergrowth on the last memory card retrieved from more than 80 remote cameras.
"There was a great sense of euphoria, and also relief having spent so long in the field with no reward until the very final day," he said, describing the moment he first saw the footage with collaborators from Indonesian conservation group YAPPENDA.
Echidnas share their name with a half-woman, half-serpent Greek mythological creature, and were described by the team as shy, nocturnal burrow-dwellers who are notoriously difficult to find.
They worked with the local village Yongsu Sapari to navigate and explore the remote terrain of northeastern Papua.
The echidna is embedded in the local culture, including a tradition that states conflicts are resolved by sending one party to a disagreement into the forest to search for the mammal and another to the ocean to find a marlin, according to Yongsu Sapari elders cited by the university.
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Spines of a hedgehog, snout of an anteater, and feet of a mole. Is this thing trying to out-ugly the platypus?
On a more serious note, they're both egg laying mammals, is it possible they're related?
I coincidentally saw the only stuffed specimen of this species last weekend and I didn't even realise it was special, because it was just standing between the other animals without a sign saying it was thought extinct or anything.
The rare mammal in question is the long-beaked echidna.
You can also rediscover mammals that lay eggs if you visit the Atlanta Falcons quarterback room. Zing!
Huh, somehow i landed at Echidna, after reading about platypus in wiki a while ago. Didn't know it was thought extinct.
Btw, it's related to and equally as weird as platipy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna#Reproduction