Last seen by scientists over 60 years ago, the rare mammal was captured on camera in some of Indonesia’s most remote areas
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Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna is a strange-looking creature. Small, long-nosed and covered in pointed spines, the rare mammal resides in the most unexplored patches of Indonesia, in the Cyclops Mountains of the Papua Province.
The species had all but eluded science, sighted for the first and last time by researchers in 1961. That is until a team of scientists and members of the local community set out to catch one – on film – for the first time in history (see footage below) – and succeeded.
Biologists from 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 worked together with locals from Yongsu Sapari on the project. This involved setting up over 80 camera traps and climbing more than 11,000 meters of steep, inhospitable mountain prone to landslides.
For four long weeks, researchers took it in turns to monitor the cameras, with no sign of the shy, tree-dwelling animal.
The project was at times hard-going and calamitous, with the landscape described by the team as ‘magical, at once enchanting and dangerous’. One member of the team reportedly broke his arm in two places, another contracted malaria, and another had a leech attached to his eye for almost two days before it was removed at a hospital.
The Cyclops Mountains, known locally as Dafonsoro, tower over the town of Sentani in the western part of Jayapura in Papua. A largely undocumented haven of biodiversity, the mountains – which reach 2,160 metres at the highest point of Gunung Ifar – house a number of different habitats, from mountain rainforest at its highest altitudes to lowland freshwater swamps home to rare shrimp.
After a long wait in this challenging environment, the team’s patience was rewarded. It was on the final day of the expedition, using the last slots on the cameras’ memory cards, that the team finally succeeded in recording a glimpse of the fabled echidna.
Dr James Kempton from the University of Oxford, the biologist who designed and led the expedition, said: ‘The discovery is the result of a lot of hard work and over three and a half years of planning. A key reason why we succeeded is because, with the help of YAPPENDA, we have spent years building a relationship with the community of Yongsu Sapari, a village on the north coast of the Cyclops Mountains. The trust between us was the bedrock of our success because they shared with us the knowledge to navigate these treacherous mountains, and even allowed us to research on lands that have never before felt the tread of human feet.’
A specimen of Sir David’s long-beaked echidna was first collected by the Dutch botanist Pieter van Royen in the 20th century and was first described scientifically in 1999. Named after the famous biologist and prolific documentary maker, the creature is one of only five remaining species of monotremes. Monotremes are a distinct branch of the evolutionary tree characterised by egg-laying mammals – including the platypus.
All echidnas – there is also a short-beaked echidna – are notoriously hard to record, as they are nocturnal, live in well-hidden burrows and are naturally reclusive. They often have very specialised habitats. Attenborough’s echidna has never been sighted outside of the Cyclops Mountains. The mammal was even considered extinct until an expedition by EDGE researchers in 2007 found hope of the creature’s survival when they interviewed local communities.
Nonetheless, Attenborough’s echidna is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is vulnerable to habitat loss and hunting.
The expedition members hope the rediscovery of this iconic creature will help raise awareness about the conservation needs of the rainforests on the Cyclops Mountains. They want to start monitoring the echidnas long-term, and support the work of local NGO YAPPENDA, who aims to protect the natural environment of Indonesian New Guinea through the empowerment of Indigenous Papuans.
Dr Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, lead entomologist for the expedition, said: ‘Tropical rainforests are among the most important and most threatened terrestrial ecosystems. It is our duty to support our colleagues on the frontline through exchanging knowledge, skills, and equipment.’
