New Species Discovered in Indonesia Jungle

Yahoo News ^ | February 7, 2006 | ROBIN McDOWELL

[NYer]

Scientists exploring an isolated jungle in one of Indonesia's most remote provinces discovered dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants — as well as mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday.

The team also found wildlife that were remarkably unafraid of humans during its rapid survey of the Foja Mountains, an area in eastern Indonesia's Papua province with more than two million acres of old growth tropical forest, said Bruce Beehler, a co-leader of the monthlong trip.

Two Long-beaked Echidnas, a primitive egg-laying mammal, simply allowed scientists to pick them up and bring them back to their camp to be studied, he said.

The December expedition to Papua on the western side of New Guinea island was organized by the U.S.-based environmental organization Conservation International and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

"There was not a single trail, no sign of civilization, no sign of even local communities ever having been there," said Beehler, adding that two headmen from the Kwerba and Papasena tribes, the customary landowners of the Foja Mountains, accompanied the expedition.

"They were as astounded as we were at how isolated it was," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "As far as they knew, neither of their clans had ever been to the area."

Papua, the scene of a decades-long separatist rebellion that has killed an estimated 100,000 people, is one of Indonesia's most remote provinces, geographically and politically, and access by foreigners is tightly restricted.

The 11-member team of U.S., Indonesian and Australian scientists needed six permits before they could legally fly by helicopter to an open, boggy lakebed surrounded by forests near the range's western summit.

The scientists said they discovered 20 frog species — including a tiny microhylid frog less than a half inch long — four new butterfly species and at least five new types of palms.

Their findings, however, will have to be published and then reviewed by peers before being officially classified as new species, a process that could take six months to several years.

The World Wild Fund for Nature, which had no ties to the project, said finding previously unknown species in the sprawling nation, renowned for its rich biodiversity, was not unusual.

"There are many species that have not been identified" in Indonesia, said Chairul Saleh, a species officer for the global environmental conservation group.

Because of the rich diversity in the forest, the group rarely had to stray more than a few miles from their base camp.

"We've only scratched the surface," said Beehler, vice president of Conservation International's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation. He said he hopes to return later this year with other scientists.

One of the most remarkable discoveries was the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, an arboreal jungle-dweller new for Indonesia and previously thought to have been hunted to near extinction, and a new honeyeater bird, which has a bright orange face-patch with a pendant wattle under each eye, Beehler said.

The scientists also took the first known photographs of Berlepsch's Six-wired Bird of Paradise, a bird described by hunters in New Guinea in the 19th century and named for the wires that extend from its head in place of a crest.

The scientists said they watched in amazement as, just one day after arriving, a male bird performed a courtship dance for an attending female in their camp, shaking the long feathers on its head.

One of the reasons for the rain forest's isolation, Beehler said, was that only a few hundred people live in the region and game in the mountain's foothills is so abundant that they had no reason to venture into the jungle's interior.

There did not appear to be any immediate conservation threat to the area, which has the status of a wildlife sanctuary, he said.

"No logging permits are given to this area, there is no transport system — not a single road," Beehler said.

"But clearly with time everything is a threat. In the next few decades there will be strong demands, especially if you think of the timber needs of nearby countries like China and Japan. They will be very hungry for logs."

____

On the Net:

Conservation International: http://www.conservation.org

[NYer]

In this undated photo released by Conservation International, a new species of Smoky honeyeater is seen discovered on the Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition to the Foya Mountains of Papua province, Indonesia, November-December 2005. Scientists surveying an isolated Indonesian jungle discovered dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants, and glimpsed large mammals that have been hunted to near-extinction elsewhere, the team announced Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Conservation International, Bruce Beehler, HO)

This undated photo released by Conservation International shows what is believed to be a new species of treefrog discovered on Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition to the Foya Mountains in Indonesia's easternmost Papua province in December 2005. Scientists discovered a 'Lost World' in an isolated Indonesian jungle, identifying dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants _ as well as large mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Conservation International, HO)

In this undated photo released by the Conservation International Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), an undescribed species of microhylid frog less than 14 millimeters (a half inch) long (Choerophryne sp.) discovered on RAP expedition to the Foya Mountains of Papua province, Indonesia, November-December 2005 is seen, Tuesday Feb. 7, 2006 in Jakarta. Scientists discovered a 'Lost World' in an isolated Indonesian jungle, identifying dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants _ as well as large mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday.(AP Photo/Conservation International, Stephen Richards, HO)

[NYer]

Thought this might be of interest to you.

[Kurt_Hectic]

So much for peace and quiet in that corner of the world... I'll bet it'll be swarming of scientists soon...

[Red Badger]

Evolution in our backyard PING...........

[Condor51]

Because of the rich diversity in the forest, the group rarely had to stray more than a few miles from their base camp.

Yep, I'm sure that they've only strayed a few miles from camp has nothing to do with the fact that the natives are still HEAD HUNTERS and cannibals.

Which Michael C. Rockefeller could attest to - if he wasn't killed, eaten and his head shrunk, 'way' back in 1961.

[theDentist]

In this undated photo, a SuperEgo Beltway Boar was discovered just outside the Indonesian Room, next door to Le Brasserie, in Georgetown.

[Jack Hammer]

Sorry, only life forms from planet Earth qualify for inclusion.

[auto power]

horney toad...distant relative of Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy.

[elli1]

Shame on you. This is a Cute Animals Only thread.

[PatrickHenry]

Archive?

[Zavien Doombringer]

[SIDENET]

Yikes...it looks hungry!

[enraged]

new "species of frogs, butterflies and plants", aren't these just variations on existing species? I was expecting some new-never before seen critter, not just a different type of a known species......

It's just another frog.

[Red Badger]

spe·cies Pronunciation (spshz, -sz)
n. pl. species
1. Biology
a. A fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus and consisting of related organisms capable of interbreeding. See Table at taxonomy.
b. An organism belonging to such a category, represented in binomial nomenclature by an uncapitalized Latin adjective or noun following a capitalized genus name, as in Ananas comosus, the pineapple, and Equus caballus, the horse.

[RockinRight]

Here's another picture of the creature:

[RightWingAtheist]

Ping

[tcostell]

LOL ....If you didn't do it I was going to , but its still a shocker to see that face.

[houeto]

In this undated photo, a SuperEgo Beltway Boar was discovered just outside the Indonesian Room, next door to Le Brasserie, in Georgetown.

Makes the frog look pretty!

[GreenFreeper]

ECO-PING

FReepmail me to be added or removed to the ECO-PING list!

I still think Echidnas are some of the coolest creatures around.

Long-beaked echidnas are egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes, a group that also includes the duck-billed platypus and the short-beaked echidna. The taxonomy of long-beaked echidnas has been contentious but currently three species are recognised: Zaglossus bruijnii, Z. bartoni (composed of 4 distinct subspecies) and Z. attenboroughi. Until recently only one species was acknowledged (Z. bruijnii) and as only small morphological differences distinguish this species from Z. bartoni it is difficult to tell individuals apart. In general, Zaglossus spp. have long, downward curving narrow snouts. The small mouth and large nostrils are located at the end of the snout and the tongue is long and agile. The limbs are powerful, with strong claws that are important in digging for food. Males can be distinguished from females by their larger size and the possession of a horny spur on the ankles of the hind limbs. The species within this genus range in size from the largest living monotremes at almost a metre long, to the small Zaglossus attenboroughi. There is a wide variety of colour and density of fur even within each species, ranging from black individuals in which the spines are barely noticeable, to sparsely haired paler echidnas. In general, Z. bruijnii is distinguished by the possession of three claws on the fore and hindfeet, whereas there are five on the forefeet of Z. bartoni and Z. attenboroughi. Z. attenboroughi is much smaller than the other species, possessing a shorter beak and shorter fur.

[Emmalein]

Wow, those Echidnas have faces only a mother could love. :-)

Thank you for posting them though, I'd never heard of them before.