Member Article

Asian 'Garden of Eden' Reveals New Species

Scientists have found dozens of new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants in a remote region of Western New Guinea.

The mist-shrouded mountain jungles have no evidence of any human contact, and neighbouring indigenous people never venture in the region. The team of US, Indonesian and Australian scientists found dozens of new and incredibly rare species of flora and fauna, including an orange-faced honeyeater, the first new bird from the island of New Guinea in more than 60 years, and a new large mammal for Indonesia – the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, formerly known from only a single mountain in neighboring Papua New Guinea.

Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the expedition, said: “It’s as close to the Garden of Eden as you’re going to find on Earth. “The first bird we saw at our camp was a new species. Large mammals that have been hunted to near extinction elsewhere were here in abundance.

We were able to simply pick up two Long-Beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal that is little known.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .