QuoteI read about this today and it brightened up my day a bit. The news is normally so depressing and its great to see such a discovery.
With all the depressing posts about the Bush War Machine, Muslim extremists and Rev. Hate Merchant, I thought it would be nice to share this with anyone who hasn't already seen it.
Taken from The Age dot com
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!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.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
I read about this today and it brightened up my day a bit. The news is normally so depressing and its great to see such a discovery.
Bit disappointing to see they haven't found the 25-foot silverback gorilla yetOriginally Posted by finlma
SIGNATURESCOPE
I found it depressing, I mean how long before the Lonely Planet writers pitch up to this garden of eden and drag the rest of humanity with them?
The location appears to be incredibly remote.
Why else would it have been devoid of humans for so long!
It's possible that humans have never been there before.
I'm looking forward to reading the report.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
i was reading about this recently there are human but not civilisation as we'd know it . very primative tribes some of which are cannables !!!!! .
Yeah, but not in this particular area.
Sure the birds and animals knew no fear of the researchers because they'd never seen humans.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
That must have been one of your dreams Anto. This place has never been touched by humans.
imagine what they'd make of a corkie
oh sorry you said human
Ignore Max Power, he is no more, the future is Ron Burgundy. I'd love to be Ron Burgundy but they won't let me........
Birds love me, especially the rare tropical type.imagine what they'd make of a corkie
Have Boot Disk, will travel
:d :d it must be the greens stripes
Ignore Max Power, he is no more, the future is Ron Burgundy. I'd love to be Ron Burgundy but they won't let me........
this just shows there were nt hunted !! how do they know they never saw humans its not like they can ask them .
peguins act them same because they have never been hunted by humans but they have seen them .
its part of a region that is so remote that there isnt even maps for it , yet they have disscovered tribes living there , of course they cant be in every corner of this remote land , in the same way we arent in every corner of this country so yes i suppose some parts would be untouched by civilisation rather than humans , as humans are animals and smaller animals are scared by bigger animals they dont draw any distinction between the type of animal .
Anto - the tribes you're talking about in Papua New Guinea have hardly been "discovered". They primaily live along the coast - the interior is too impenetrable for them, they can make a much better living from the seas, and they've been known about for donkeys years. There are no humans living in the area the scientists have been researching - the fact that the only way the scientists could reach it was to be helicoptered in says it all. There may be the very odd isolated group in the interior, but the scientists didn;'t encounter evidence of any when they were conducting their research.
They did, however, find a McDonalds drive thru.....
Eh, no they haven't. They discovered different species of frogs, birds and ferns but not tribes. Do you have a source for this Anto?
Yeah but we've found it now so I'll give it about three years before regular people can take a package deal out there. I'm sure Kate Moss is already coked off her head out there as we speak
im wrong it was in an other part of papa i was reading about , aparently there is the well know coast then 750,000 hec. with the tribes then about 300,000 hec with no one .
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