Quote:
AN UNTOUCHED "Lost World" brimming with new wildlife has been discovered by scientists in the remote mountains of West Papua.
The team — from Australia, the US and Indonesia — surveyed a region near the Foja Mountains.
Team leader Stephen Richards, of the South Australian Museum, yesterday spoke of his wonder at the discovery of a new species of smoky honeyeater.
"Because there is no human presence at all. This area is like it was before people came to Papua New Guinea; it really is like a garden of Eden," he said.
A specialist in frogs, Mr Richards found at least 20 new frog species during a month-long stay as well as five new butterflies.
The team stumbled across two long-beaked echidnas, possibly a new species, that allowed themselves to be picked up and taken back to camp for study.
"This place is really special; people have been trying to get here for a long time. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Mr Richards said.
"Many places in Papua New Guinea have had little exploration, but none has seen so little impact. There are many things there that have just disappeared elsewhere.
"It's been protected by default by its remoteness and the fact the locals don't hunt there as they see it as sacred."
Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the expedition and an expert on birds of paradise, said the remote area was one of the richest he had seen.
The team found many unrecorded plants, including five new palms, and rhododendrons with the largest flowers on record. Overall, Dr Beehler said, the team counted 215 species of birds in the mountains.
The scientists also obtained the first photographs of the golden-fronted bowerbird, a species previously known only from a few skins collected by local hunters.
The naturalists also took the first photographs of Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise. The birds paraded into camp and performed their mating display between the tents.
It was the first time scientists had ever seen a male of the species.
The December 2005 expedition was organised by the US-based Conservation International, with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. The team's findings are yet to be published and subjected to review, a process necessary to classify new species.
It's amazing to think that this had remained hidden for so long. There's still mystery on earth which isn't at the bottom of the sea. Wonderful stuff!