Thousands of species are classified as “lost,” teetering between extinction and uncertainty in the evolutionary “gray area.” Occasionally, researchers capture glimpses of these elusive creatures through their cameras—such is the case with one of the planet’s most peculiar mammals.
60 years in limbo. Scientists have captured new footage of the critically endangered Zaglossus attenboroughi, or Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, in Papua Province, Indonesia. Known locally as Payangko, this remarkable mammal, named partly in honor of Sir David Attenborough, had been absent from scientific records for over 60 years—until now.
Clues from the past. Despite its decades-long absence, scientists suspected the species might still exist. Evidence such as distinctive burrows and snout marks suggested the creature’s presence in the dense forests of Papua.
The last confirmed specimen, collected in 1961, resides in a Dutch museum and was critical to classifying the echidna as a distinct species.
A living fossil. Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna belongs to an ancient lineage of monotremes—egg-laying mammals that include the platypus. Monotremes, unique in having a cloaca and laying eggs, trace their origins back approximately 200 million years to the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
Today, they’re confined to Australasia, with only four known species of echidnas, three of which are in the Zaglossus genus.
The expedition. The rediscovery was made during the Expedition Cyclops, a collaborative effort involving researchers from the University of Oxford, local groups, and NGOs. Camera traps placed in the Cyclops Mountains, a remote and largely unexplored jungle region, captured video evidence of the elusive echidna.
The summer 2023 expedition focused on an area of over 77 square miles in the Cyclops Mountains, at elevations of about 6,560 feet. This rugged terrain, covered in dense jungle, proved challenging for the 25-member team. Postdoctoral researcher James Kempton described the rediscovery as a race against time:
“It came down to the very last SD card we reviewed, from the very last camera we collected, on the very last day of the expedition,” Kempton told the BBC. In addition to documenting the echidna, the team discovered several insect species, two frogs, and a crustacean, underscoring the biodiversity of this remote region.
A critical status. Listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the long-beaked echidna faces significant threats from habitat destruction and hunting. The rediscovery doesn’t alter its conservation status but shines a spotlight on the urgent need to protect its habitat.
Image | Expedition Cyclops
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