First-Ever Images Confirm Survival of 'Lost Echidna'
November 10, 2023
After more than six decades, the elusive Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, a mammal species once thought to be lost, has been sighted in Indonesia for the first time.
The Zaglossus attenboroughi, a kind of long-beaked echidna named after Sir David Attenborough, had last been seen in 1961.
These spiky, furry creatures, often referred to as "living fossils," are believed to have originated around 200 million years ago, sharing the Earth with dinosaurs.
Until now, the only evidence that this particular species existed was a decades-old museum specimen of a dead animal.
After an extensive four-week effort involving a team of scientists and experts from both Britain and Indonesia, utilizing 80 camera traps, the elusive echidna finally revealed itself on the expedition's last day, captured on the final memory card of the trip.
Watch the video clip below.
The team's month-long expedition took them through previously unexplored areas of the Cyclops Mountains, a rugged rainforest habitat situated 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) above sea level in Indonesia.
"I'm not joking when I say it came down to the very last SD card that we looked at, from the very last camera that we collected, on the very last day of our expedition," said Dr. James Kempton, a biologist from Oxford University and the leader of the expedition.
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Man Builds Underwater Maze For Octopus, Puts Its Intelligence To The Test
The Grinch Crashed A Doggy Daycare - And The Dogs Were Not Having It
Wife Makes Husband Return Orange Juice, Wins $315M Lottery With $2 He Saved
In This Image There Are 16 Circles. Can You Find Them?
A Mom Whispered To Santa That Her Son Is Blind And Autistic
The Artistic Wizardry Of The House Illusion Sculpture
Man Builds Underwater Maze For Octopus, Puts Its Intelligence To The Test
Father Comes Home From Afghanistan To Surprise His Son Before His Game
A Father Asks His 3-Year-Old Son 'What's The Secret To Happiness?'
A Mesmerizing Timelapse Of A Christmas Tree Grown From A Pine Cone Seed
Delivery Driver Pets Cat On Every Delivery, But On This Day He Could Not