Scientists have confirmed the rediscovery of Attenborough\u2019s long-beaked echidna, a species previously thought to be extinct for over 60 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This ancient, egg-laying mammal was found deep within the rainforests of Indonesia. <\/p>\n
It is scientifically known as Zaglossus attenboroughi and named after the legendary naturalist David Attenborough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Echidnas, characterized by their spiky fur and beaks, are often referred to as \u201cliving fossils\u201d due to their ancient lineage, believed to have originated around 200 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs.<\/p>\n
The photographic evidence was included in the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnrecorded for 62 years, we present the first scientific evidence of its survival to the present day,\u201d a team of researchers led by Oxford wrote in the study paper. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Finding elusive echidna<\/p>\n
Reportedly, the species hadn\u2019t been recorded in over 60 years, with the last observation being a dead specimen discovered in the region. <\/p>\n
According to the BBC<\/a>, this specimen is housed in the Treasure Room of Naturalis, the natural history museum in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n In 2023, during an Oxford University expedition to the remote Cyclops Mountains<\/a> \u2014 located 2,000m (6,561ft) above sea level \u2014 a glimmer of hope emerged.\u00a0<\/p>\n A potential footage of the elusive echidna was captured \u2013 a hint that this \u201clost species\u201d might still be out there.<\/p>\n As per the study, researchers used modern scientific methods, like camera-trapping.<\/p>\n During June and July 2023, the team conducted camera-trap surveys in the Cyclops Mountains, setting up 73 camera traps across a 7 km\u00b2 area. <\/p>\n These were strategically placed along animal trails, ridgelines, and where potential echidna \u201cnose-pokes\u201d were found, to maximize the chances of detection. Nose pokes are holes echidnas create while foraging for invertebrates underground.<\/p>\n Along with this, they also combined invaluable indigenous knowledge, passed down through generations. Local communities had long reported sightings, their insights crucial to guiding the search.<\/p>\n In fact, evidence had been building for decades. As early as 2007, researchers reportedly<\/a> found tell-tale nose pokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n These cameras captured it: 110 photographs from 26 separate events \u2013 irrefutable proof that Attenborough\u2019s long-beaked echidna was alive and thriving in the Cyclops Mountains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Unique evolutionary history <\/p>\n The long-beaked echidna<\/a> is one of just five living species of egg-laying mammals on Earth. <\/p>\n These creatures belong to an ancient lineage called monotremes, which diverged from other mammals (marsupials and placental mammals) more than 200 million years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cWe confirm the \u2018rediscovery\u2019 of Attenborough\u2019s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), one of only five modern egg-laying mammals and, until now, one of the planet\u2019s most enigmatic \u2018lost species\u2019,\u201d the researchers wrote in the study paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n