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Giant Rat Species Captured on Video for 1st Time in Papua New Guinea

  • Czech doctoral candidate František Vejmělka captured the first scientific video of the subalpine woolly rat in New Guinea's mountains during a six-month expedition.
  • The species, Mallomys istapantap, was identified in 1989 from museum specimens but lacked any wild observation or photos until this expedition.
  • The subalpine woolly rat inhabits montane forests and grasslands around 3,200–3,700 meters, is nocturnal, weighs up to 2 kg, and measures about 85 cm including a thick fur and large paws.
  • On April 18, the study along with new footage was published in the journal Mammalia, where Vejmělka expressed surprise that such a sizable and notable species had been largely overlooked by the scientific community until now.
  • The discovery offers new insight into New Guinea’s biodiversity and highlights the importance of indigenous collaboration for documenting elusive species in remote mountain habitats.
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Phys.org broke the news in United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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