Latest news with #FrantišekVejmělka
ABC News
3 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Giant 'woolly' rat caught on camera for first time in Papua New Guinea's mountains
In the dead of night, a giant rat the size of a small terrier scurries among the forest ferns in the wet, glacial valley of Papua New Guinea's highest mountain. Little does it know, it is being caught on candid camera. For the first time, the subalpine woolly rat — the biggest rodent in Australia and Oceania — has been documented in Papua New Guinea's Mount Wilhelm. While the shaggy-furred rat was well-known by local hunters, it had not been photographed live in its habitat by the scientific community until now. "There is one book I was working with, on the mammals of PNG, and there is just a painting of his huge animal without any pictures," said biologist František Vejmělka. Only about 50 specimens — mostly of the rats' skulls — existed in scientific collections and most pictures of the rodent, other than a photograph of a preserved museum specimen, were painted illustrations. Being nocturnal, not particular noisy, and a drab shade of grey meant the tree-climbing rat also was hard to spot. "When scientists first described it in 1989, they assumed it was herbivorous based on the shape of their molars of their teeth," Mr Vejmělka said. But he confirmed this by purchasing rats local hunters caught to examine the rats' stomach contents, which were filled with ferns. Mr Vejmělka also documented their reddish-brown chests, a trait previously characterised as an "artefact" in existing literature. Measuring about 75 centimetres from head to tail and weighing about 1.5 kilograms, Mallomys istapantap is an elusive creature, only found in the eastern part of New Guinea's mountains. Mr Vejmělka said the rodent's Latin name means "it's on the top right" in the local Melanesian pidgin dialect, reflecting its habitat 3,000 meters above sea level, higher than where locals lived. The University of South Bohemia mammalian researcher published his findings in the journal Mammalia in April after spending six months among Papua New Guinea's highest peaks looking for the giant rat along with 60 other rodent species. He said standard trapping did not work in the mountainous forests, so he set up camera traps and joined local landowners on night hunts to find the shaggy critter. Mr Vejmělka said the scientific community's lack of understanding of the rodent was a reflection of its remote habitat rather than its numbers. "During my time spent there working with the hunters I could see that they were actually pretty abundant. He credited the local community and indigenous hunters for helping him with his PhD research into the island's fauna and hoped to return and continue his work "The mammals of the island and the biodiversity is so poorly known still, that it's really a place for a lifetime of scientific work."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts celebrate as trail camera captures rare footage of elusive species not seen in decades: 'Such a large and striking animal'
A researcher has made history after securing the first-ever scientific observation of an animal that had eluded scientists for decades. During a six-month expedition on the island of Papua New Guinea, František Vejmělka, a doctoral candidate from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, spotted the Mallomys istapantap, also known as the subalpine woolly rat. As IFL Science noted, Vejmělka documented the sighting in a study published in the journal Mammalia According to New Atlas, the woolly rat is one of the largest murine rodents in the world, and the study said it is the largest rodent of the Australian and Oceanian zoogeographic regions. Murine rodents are a large group of "Old World" rats and mice that comprises over 500 species, per Animal Diversity Web. As one of the largest murine rodents, the woolly rat had never been scientifically discovered in the wild since the species was first described in 1989 using a historic specimen from a museum. Vejmělka utilized camera traps and help from indigenous hunters to obtain the rare footage of the woolly rat. "The combination of modern and traditional detection methods enriched by the immense traditional hunting knowledge of Indigenous communities resulted in the first specimen records of this remarkable rodent in over 30 years and the first scientific observations of living animals," the study read, per IFL Science. In a statement, Vejmělka acknowledged the significance of the discovery and the importance of research ventures. "It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied," Vejmělka said. "How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?" Thanks to trail cameras, many research expeditions can obtain vital information that not only captures rare sightings but also helps gauge the health and function of secluded ecosystems and habitats. This can go a long way in studying delicate food chains without interfering or interacting with nearby wildlife. Do you think more places of worship should embrace clean energy? Yes — it sets a positive example Only if it saves money No opinion Absolutely not Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Conservation efforts can significantly impact our well-being by preserving natural resources and promoting healthy ecosystems. Conservationism can also directly benefit human health by ensuring healthy food chains. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Mysterious Rat Vanished Into the Mountains in 1989. It Just Showed Its Face for the First Time Since.
Here's what you'll learn about when you read this story. Mallomys istapantap is the largest (and also least studied) species of woolly rat in New Guinea, and it has finally been documented in photos and on video. This species was first documented in 1989, but in their attempts to further study the creature, researchers had little to go off of other than a handful of museum specimens. The knowledge preserved by local Indigenous people suggests that only sightings of the M. istapantap by scientists—and not the species itself—are rare. Not all rats are sewer or subway denizens skittering away with someone's slice of pizza (and then going viral for it). In the remote mountain rainforests of Papua New Guinea, there is a creature that has managed to elude humans for decades—a giant rat that hides in the leafy shadows and has never known a discarded pizza crust. Meet Mallomys istapantap, the Subalpine Woolly Rat of New Guinea. This behemoth of a rodent can easily grow to be the size of a house cat and reach lengths of 85 centimeters (or 33 inches). Several different species of woolly rat have been found in the region, but M. istapantap is easily the largest, and the least studied. It is also one of the largest rodents in the world, next to species such as pacarenas and capybaras. Now, zoologist František Vejmělka has become the first to document this mysterious nocturnal rodent in the wild, catching the creature on both photo and video as it scurries down a tree branch at just past sunset. 'It seems that the rarity of the Subalpine Woolly Rat in museum collections and the limited knowledge on its ecology do not reflect its true rarity in nature, but are rather connected only to the remoteness of the habitats it occupies and to the fact that it cannot be recorded by standard methods of small rodent trapping,' Vejmělka said in a study recently published in the journal Mammalia. Isolated island habitats can lead to the evolution of some exotic and unusual fauna. Along with outsize rats, New Guinea is home to birds of paradise, iridescent snakes, fanged frogs, grunting fish, tree kangaroos, and several rare species of echidna that exist nowhere else on Earth. Mallomys is a whole genus endemic to the island, and consists of four species of woolly rat. The other species have slightly better documentation, but M. istapantap was first described in 1989 and only visually documented through an illustration in 1995. Until now, the only way to study it up close has been through a handful of museum specimens. M. istapantap is an herbivore that eats mostly ferns and lives in mossy forests or grasslands near the mountains. It is mostly terrestrial—though still able to climb trees if it needs to escape predators—and its thick and shaggy fur keeps it from feeling the chill of high elevations. The species name 'istapantap' is Melanesian Pidgin (spoken by the local Indigenous people) and means 'living above' or 'it is on the top.' This knowledge of the creature's existence shows that it is probably glimpsed regularly among the roots and leaves by locals. Hunters who helped Vejmělka collect samples seemed to know areas where he was most likely to find M. istapantap, though population numbers are still unknown. In addition to having local hunters as his guides, Vejmělka set up a camera trap on a fallen log over a stream in a dense forest on Mount Wilhelm—the highest mountain in New Guinea. The camera ran for eight nights until a male M. istapantap, eyes shining in the darkness, was filmed crawling across the log. Woolly rat species that live in lower elevations have longer tails, while those in higher elevations have shorter tails—an axiom that also applies to the white-tipped tail of M. istapantap. They have dark, brownish-grayish fur with white undersides and pale feet, and females are slightly larger than males. Vejmělka also discovered a color variation never seen before in the species (or any rodent species in the Hydromyini group of rodents, for that matter), which features a streak of yellow on the chest that he thinks is either genetic or staining from sebaceous glands. (This might be related to territorial behavior.) 'The results presented here show primarily the persisting importance of conducting field expeditions in the present, particularly to understudied regions of the Earth,' said Vejmělka. 'The combination of modern and traditional detection methods […] resulted in the first specimen records of this remarkable rodent in over 30 years.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
33-inch-long 'woolly' mountain rat caught on camera for first time ever
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One of the largest rats in the world has finally been caught on camera, almost four decades after it was first discovered. These gargantuan rats, named the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap), measure up to 33.5 inches (85 centimeters) long from the end of their tail to their nose, and weigh as much as 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms). The species was first identified in 1989 through museum specimens, but it had never been photographed or observed in the wild — until now. In a new study published April 18 in the journal Mammalia, František Vejmělka, a doctoral candidate at the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, has revealed the very first images of these rats in their natural habitat. He captured the footage right at the end of his six-month expedition to the mountains of New Guinea, where the subalpine woolly rat is native to. It is the largest species of rat in the Australia and Oceania region, and one of the largest species in the world, alongside the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which measures 34.6 inches (88 cm) from nose to tail. When they were first scientifically described, researchers noted that subalpine woolly rats are usually found in montane forests and grasslands between 8,040 and 12,630 feet (2,450 to 3,850 meters) above sea level, live a nocturnal lifestyle, mostly eats plant matter, and nest in burrows. These rodents have sharp incisor teeth, thick fur and huge 3-inch-long (8 cm) paws. Little research has been done regarding this species in the decades since, due to its elusive nature and hard-to-access habitat, meaning it has never been formally observed, filmed or photographed in the wild before. "It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied. How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?" Vejmělka said in a statement. On a six-month expedition to New Guinea, Vejmělka surveyed more than 60 species of rodents and marsupials on the slopes of Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. With the help of local tribes, Vejmělka collected camera trap footage of the massive subalpine woolly rats and caught a few specimens, enabling him to obtain the first ever biometric measurements of the males of the species. The camera trap videos included a clip of one of the massive rats using a fallen mossy tree branch to cross a stream. RELATED STORIES —Rat numbers are skyrocketing across US cities — and it's only going to get worse —Capuchins have started abducting newborn howler monkeys in bizarre, deadly fad —Scientists solve mystery of how orange cats got their coats — and why so many are male He also recorded data about the rats' parasites, diet and patterns of activity and movement, finding it spends its days hiding in underground burrows or tree canopies, and then climbs trees at night to feast on plant matter. Vejmělka told Live Science that the extremely high and steep mountain ranges provide a unique ecosystem. "Their ancestors arrived from Asia to the island completely absent of any other terrestrial placental mammals (only marsupials and monotremes)," he said in an email, adding their size may be an example of insular gigantism — an evolutionary phenomenon where small animals on islands grow bigger than their mainland counterparts. The discovery provides a glimpse into the mountains of New Guinea and the biodiversity there. "If it weren't for the indigenous hunters who accompanied me in the mountains and helped me locate the animals, I would never have been able to collect this data," said Vejmělka.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Elusive woolly rat photographed for the first time
New Guinea's subalpine woolly rat is the rodent of legends. Mallomys istapantap was first described in 1989, but even then the descriptions were only gleaned from examining historical museum material. The last recorded sighting of the fuzzy rodent 30 years ago failed to yield any photographic evidence, but after six months scouring the jungles of New Guinea, one researcher has finally documented one of the world's most elusive mammals. The New Guinean woolly rat doesn't make itself easy to find, but Czech Academy of Sciences doctoral candidate František Vejmělka recently managed to make history with the help of local guides. 'If it weren't for the indigenous hunters who accompanied me in the mountains and helped me locate the animals, I would never have been able to collect this data,' Vejmělka said in a statement. Vejmělka collaborated with multiple local tribes to survey the region around Papua New Guinea's highest peak, Mount Wilhelm (14,793 ft). Along the way he documented and genetically identified 61 species of non-flying rodents and marsupials, but it was his firsthand encounters with the woolly rat that stood out from the rest. The murine rodent lives in the region's remote, steep highlands at elevations around 12,000 feet. They only emerge at night to feed on plant matter and spend their days in underground burrows or high in the tree canopies. Vejmělka's documentation published last month in the journal Mammalia notes the thick-furred woolly rats measure about 2.78-feet long including their tail, weigh around 4.4 lbs, and feature 3-inch paws. Despite their moderate size, the university announcement describes the animal as a 'striking and formidable creature.' While tropical biodiversity across Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia is well-studied, the Australasian regions remain largely unstudied. Collaborating with local indigenous communities to find and document animals such as the woolly rat is crucial to help strengthen biodiversity and conservation efforts, and what is needed to protect them from outside threats. 'It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied,' said Vejmělka. 'How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?'
