According to a recent article by **University of Oxford**, an expedition team has rediscovered an iconic, egg-laying mammal in one of the most unexplored regions of the world. The mammal, called Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, was captured for the first time in photos and video footage using remote trail cameras set up in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia's Papua Province. The echidna's rediscovery is a remarkable feat, considering that it had not been seen for more than 60 years ¹.
An expedition team has rediscovered Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, an egg-laying mammal that had not been seen for over sixty years. The mammal was captured for the first time in photos and video footage using remote trail cameras set up in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia's Papua Province ¹. The echidna has the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater, and the feet of a mole, which gives it a unique appearance. It is named after Sir David Attenborough, a famed broadcaster who has contributed significantly to the field of natural history ².
The expedition team, which was a partnership between the University of Oxford, Indonesian NGO Yayasan Pelayanan Papua Nenda (YAPPENDA), Cenderawasih University (UNCEN), Papua BBKSDA, and the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), Re:Wild, made many other remarkable finds alongside the echidna's rediscovery. These included Mayr's honeyeater, a bird lost to science since 2008; an entirely new genus of tree-dwelling shrimp; countless new species of insects; and a previously unknown cave system. The team faced many difficulties posed by extremely inhospitable terrain, including venomous animals, blood-sucking leeches, malaria, earthquakes, and exhausting heat ¹.
Attenborough's long-beaked echidna is a member of the monotremes, an egg-laying group that separated from the rest of the mammal tree-of-life about 200 million years ago ³. The echidna's rediscovery is a remarkable feat, considering that it had not been seen for more than 60 years. The mammal's unique appearance and its rediscovery have generated significant interest among the scientific community and the general public alike ¹.
