Latest news with #MountWilhelm
ABC News
5 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."
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientist reveals world-first footage of subalpine wooly rat, a rodent species as big as a domestic cat
A scientist has discovered a species of rat that measures more than 2.5ft-long in Papua New Guinea. The species, called the subalpine woolly rat, has sharp incisors, thick fur, and clawed paws measuring three inches. It is three times the size of a brown rat and new footage has revealed one of them scampering across a tree branch at night, likely in search for food. Frantisek Vejmelka works for the Biology Center of the Czech Academy Of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. He said: '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?' The species only lives in the steep highlands of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. Until now, the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) has been known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. First described in 1989 based on historical museum material, it was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed. But the Czech researcher's new photos and video footage show the animal in its natural habitat for the first time. During his six-month expedition, he worked with local tribes to survey Mount Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea which reaches 14,793ft above sea level. According to expert's measurements, the subalpine woolly rat is a length of 2.7ft, including the tail and weighs nearly 4.4lb. This compares to an average length of about 2.3ft of 8lb to 10lb for the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the average brown rat today has a body length of about 11 inches and usually weighs 0.44-0.66lb. Vejmelka also gathered data on the rat's diet, parasites, activity patterns, movement, and other aspects of its lifestyle. According to the expert, the nocturnal species leads a hidden life in remote, hard-to-reach areas, which explains why it's so understudied. It climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. Vejmelka's work, published in the journal Mammalia, contributes to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of New Guinea's underexplored tropical mountains. He said: 'These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science. 'Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioral ecology of the woolly rats.' New Guinean woolly rats, together with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents belonging to the murine family. They are found only in the steep highlands of New Guinea covered in pristine rainforest. However, the subalpine woolly rat is not the largest rat in the world. The world's biggest rat in terms of length is the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which reaches 3ft-long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. Another big rat species is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) found in Madagascar, which can grow to about 2ft. But the largest rodents to ever have walked the Earth – including Josephoartigasia monesi and Phoberomys pattersoni – are now extinct. Unusually large animals from history known as 'megafauna' typically died out due to climate and environmental shifts, plus human hunting.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Massive ‘giant woolly RAT' triple the size of regular rodent found as enormous creatures dubbed ‘largest in the world'
A RARE species of giant woolly rat has been documented in photos and video footage for the first time ever. The elusive, nocturnal Subalpine Woolly Rat, or Mallomys istapantap, can be found high up in the mountains of New Guinea. 3 3 New Guinean Woolly rats are some of the largest murine rodents in the world - and are triple the size of the average rodent in the UK or US. Despite its total length of 85cm, 8cm-long paws, and body weight of roughly 2kg - the giant woolly rat has evaded researchers for decades. The species was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed until now. František Vejmělka, a Czech doctoral candidate from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, is the first person to scientifically document the Subalpine Woolly Rat in the wild. With help from several local tribes, Vejmělka was able to document the rare species while on a six-month expedition from the base to the summit of Mount Wilhelm - the highest peak in Papua New Guinea at 4,509m high. "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?" The creatures are typically found in regions up to 3,700metres high. Its nocturnal habits - and the inaccessibility of its habitat - have made it extremely difficult to observe in the wild. And until now, the Subalpine Woolly Rat was known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. Vejmělka documentation means scientists now have biometric measurements of the creatures. They also have knowledge other aspects of its lifestyle, such as the animal's diet, parasites that affect them, and activity patterns. The shaggy-furred rat climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. "If it weren't for the indigenous hunters who accompanied me in the mountains and helped me locate the animals," said Vejmělka. "I would never have been able to collect this data." 3
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Giant RATS three times the size of standard rodents are discovered: Enormous vermin have sharp incisors, thick fur and 3-inch paws, scientists warn
If you have a fear of abnormally large rodents, you might want to look away now. A scientist has discovered a whopping species of rat that measures more than 2.5 feet long – three times the size of a brown rat. The 'striking and formidable' species, called the subalpine woolly rat, has sharp incisors, thick fur and clawed paws measuring three inches (8cm). Astonishing footage shows a giant rat scampering across a tree branch in the dead of night, likely in search for food. Fortunately, the shaggy-furred beast isn't to be found in Britain and only lives in the steep highlands of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. The find was made by František Vejmělka at the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. 'It's astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied,' he said. 'How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?' Until now, the subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap) has been known to science only from a handful of museum specimens. First described in 1989 based on historical museum material, it was last recorded 30 years ago and had never before been photographed. But the Czech researcher's new photos and video footage show the animal in its natural habitat for the first time. During his six-month expedition, he worked with local tribes to survey Mount Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea which reaches 14,793ft (4,509 metres) above sea level. Camera trap images and video recorded the elusive species inhabiting the cool, misty montane forests and grasslands at elevations of around 12,000ft (3,700 metres). According to expert's measurements, the subalpine woolly rat is a length of 2.7 inches (85cm) including the tail and weighs nearly 2 kilograms. This compares to an average length of about 2.3 feet (70cm) and weight of 3.6 to 4.5 kilograms for the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the average brown rat today has a body length of about 11 inches (28cm) and usually weighs 200-300g. Mr Vejmělka also gathered data on the mega-rat's diet, parasites, activity patterns, movement, and other aspects of its lifestyle. According to the expert, the elusive nocturnal species leads a hidden life in remote, hard-to-reach areas – which explains why it's so understudied. It climbs trees at night, hides in underground burrows or tree canopies during the day, and feeds exclusively on plant matter. His work, published in the journal Mammalia, contributes to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of New Guinea's underexplored tropical mountains. 'These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science,' said Mr Vejmělka, who also paid tribute to the local tribes who helped in. 'Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioural ecology of the woolly rats.' New Guinean woolly rats, together with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents belonging to the murine family. They are found only in the steep highlands of New Guinea covered in pristine rainforest. In the absence of other competing mammals, they have diversified over five million years into a remarkable variety of shapes and sizes. While it's undoubtedly a whopper, the the subalpine woolly rat is not the largest rat in the world. The world's biggest rat in terms of length is the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which reaches 3ft (0.9 metres) long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length. Another big rat species is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) found in Madagascar, which can grow to about 2ft. But the largest rodents to ever have walked the Earth – including Josephoartigasia monesi and Phoberomys pattersoni – are now extinct. Unusually large animals from history known as 'megafauna' typically died out due to climate and environmental shifts, plus human hunting. Giant prehistoric rat as big as a HUMAN that weighed 175lbs and had a tiny brain lived in the Amazon rainforest 10 million years ago A giant prehistoric rat as big as a human that lived in the Amazon rainforest ten million years ago has been discovered by scientists. Neoepiblema acreensis weighed around 175lbs (80kg) and reached five feet in length - making it the biggest rodent ever to roam South America. To put this in perspective, the average brown rat today has a body length of less than a foot and weighs about half a pound. Neoepiblema acreensis also had two huge curved incisor teeth and a tiny brain that weighed just four ounces (114 grams).
