A successful expedition in Papua New Guinea captured photos and video of the chicken-size pigeon, highlighting the value of local ecological knowledge as scientists seek out other long-missing species. For a month the researchers had traversed slender mountain ridges, crossed and re-crossed rivers that roared through canyons cloaked in tropical forest, and endured bloodthirsty mosquitoes […]
Tag: new guinea
The New Guinea singing dog, once thought extinct, is alive in the wild
An analysis of the DNA of three wild dogs living above 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) on the island of New Guinea matches that of captive New Guinea singing dogs. These findings show that the New Guinea singing dog is not extinct in the wild, as most zoologists had assumed, researchers reported recently in the Proceedings […]
Original New Guinea Singing Dogs Still Exist in the Wild, Study Shows
The New Guinea singing dog was first described in 1897, and became known for its unique and characteristic vocalization, described as a ‘wolf howl with overtones of whale song.’ Originally classified as a distinct species, Canis hallstromi, its taxonomy remains controversial in part due to the availability of only captive specimens for genetic analysis and […]
Video: New Bird of Paradise Species Has Smooth Dance Moves
It’s hard to find a more superb bird than the superb bird of paradise. Males have an elaborate courtship ritual, during which they spread out their black cape until only a bright blue breast plate and blue eyes are visible in an all-absorbing blackness. Then he puts on a dance, moving around a female in […]
In early push into Papua, palm oil firms set stage for massive forest plunder
JAKARTA – The clearing of Indonesia’s last untouched swath of pristine forest has begun in earnest, with an area the size of Washington, D.C., razed for just a single oil palm plantation in Papua province, new data show. Nearly 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of forest have been cleared in Merauke district since 2014 […]
Video: ‘Extinct’ Mountain Dogs rediscovered in the wild
The New Guinea highland wild dog was feared extinct in the wild after nearly half a century without a confirmed sighting. But after a pawprint and other possible signs in 2016, researchers set up camera traps in their remote mountain habitat. What resulted were more than 140 photos showing at least 15 individual wild dogs. […]
Extreme birdwatching: Twitching in war zones
Paul Rendell didn’t think he was in trouble. High up in the mountains, in a remote, lushly-forested corner of the Philippines, the pensioner from Dorset had envisaged a peaceful day amid spectacular scenery. Then the bullets started whistling around him. “We all dived to the ground,” Mr Rendell said. “Our guide Carlitos was shot immediately […]
Hilarious Video: Attenborough interrupted by Bird of Paradise
When it comes to presenting wildlife documentaries, we all know you can’t outdo David Attenborough – but this rowdy bird of paradise has a pretty good go at it. Thanks to all of its squawking and melodramatic tail-flouncing, it took several takes for Sir David to get the sequence just right for his latest project ‘Birds of […]