Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna rediscovered in Indonesia
I didn’t realise there was a fourth species
I had to rescue a horny short nosed one which had trapped itself between gutters on a high speed road while looking for a mate a few years ago
These things are STRONG. The spikes aren’t much of a concern if you’re trying to pick one up, but it’s essentially a sphere of pure muscle and bones
The egg laying by the females is interesting. But what’s four times as interesting is the structure of the male’s business end.
> Kempton's team survived an earthquake, malaria and even a leech attached to an eyeball during their trip
Yeeeash...
Named after Sir. David Attenborough no less. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67382235
I hope Indonesians start appreciating more what they have. Although I doubt this is possible without significantly improving their living standard first.
There is open wildlife trade on the Sunday market near my place. Birds, monkeys, lizards, snakes, sugar gliders, and some unknown to me "things".
The nearest police office is about 20 meters from it.
Rare monotreme rediscovered in *Indonesian-occupied West Papua.
Merdeka!
Everybody says echidna is cool, it lays eggs, echidna is this, echidna is that... nobody aws about the poor lowland streaked tenrec
Echidna part of local folklore for thousands of years. Attenborough comes along making a tv show. Gets named after him.
I wonder if they'll be able to get a breeding pair in captivity somehow, or at least ensure a prospering stable wild population...
That conflict resolution method is pretty creative. Thanks for posting!
Seems like it would be an easy meal for all sorts of predators.
Semi-terrestrial shrimp.
This animal would be so much more obscure if it weren't for Sega's publicity campaign [0].
Strange to see West Papua plainly described as Indonesia.
It’s a great video. The feeling of euphoria is very real and in the vast and in the isolated jungles of Maritime South East Asia there is a little thrill knowing just how isolated you are.
On an island. In a jungle. Miles from the airport via river and foot. On a mountain.
> 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. Both creatures were seen as so difficult to find that it would often take decades or a generation to locate them. But once found, the animals symbolized the end of the conflict and a return to harmonious relationships.
If only all worldly conflicts could be resolved so peacefully.