Attenborough’s Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), a species endemic to Papua thought to be lost for 62 years has been rediscovered in the Cyclops Mountains in Papua. The mammal was previously thought to be a critically endangered species.
The discovery of the species occurred during a training on biodiversity held between June and July by National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) along with the Papua Natural Resources Conservation Centre of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Cenderawasih University, and Oxford University. The animal was sighted by a camera trap installed in the Cyclops Mountains, Papua.
In a BRIN release received on Saturday, (11/11/23), James Kempton, a researcher from Oxford University, stated that the legitimacy of the discovery has been corroborated by statements by two Australian mammal experts, Kris Helgen dan Tim Flannery. The two experts stated that the mammal species measuring 48-64 cm weighing 4-9 kgs snapped by the camera trap was indeed Attenborough’s Long-beaked Echidna.
Inayah, a researcher from BRIN’s Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution of the Biological and Environmental Research Organization, stated that the Attenborough long-beaked echidna is a mammal species of the monotremes order or egg-laying mammal. The species evolved from Mammals with placentas and marsupials more than 200 million years ago.
He said, until now there are only five species of monotremes in the world that are still alive. In addition to the Attenborough long-beaked echidna, other types of mammals are the duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus), the short-billed echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), the eastern long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bartoni), and the western long-billed echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii).
“Monotreme species are unique among other mammals in that they have cloacas, no nipples, and lay eggs. Although the morphological differences that define monotremes are well known, many aspects of their biology are unknown. This is because these nocturnal animals inhabit remote areas and live in burrows, especially for long-beaked echidnas,” Nurul said.
The appearance of the Attenborough long-beaked echidna which is an endemic species of Papua was first identified by Pieter van Royen on Mount Rara in the Cyclops Mountains, Papua, in 1961. Peter was a Dutch botanist.
Secretariat of the Scientific Authority for Biodiversity BRIN Amir Hamidy said, according to the red list from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global threat status of the Attenborough long-beak echidna is in the critical category.
However, based on the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 106 of 2018 concerning Protected Plant and Animal Species, there are only two species of monotreme mammals that are included as protected species in Indonesia. The two species are Tachyglossus aculeatus and Zaglossus bruijni.
“The conservation status of the Attenborough long-beaked echidna also needs to be evaluated and it is possible to designate it as a protected species,” Amir said.
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