Giant rat species and dove found in Papua forest

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A giant rat and a pygmy possum, both believed to be new to science, have been found in an ecological 'lost world' hidden in the pristine cloud forests of New Guinea.

The huge rat - about five times as large as a sewer rat - had no fear of people and regularly wandered into a camp set up by scientists in the remote region of Papua, the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea.

In contrast, the Cercartetus possum was shy and ranks as one of the world's smallest marsupials.

Both creatures were found by scientists from the US-based group Conservation International and the Indonesian Institute of Science, which led an expedition to the Foja mountains of eastern Papua in June.

It is extremely rare to discover new species of mammal, particularly one as large as the Mallomys rat.

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The 1.4 kg giant rat that is probably a new species

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

"With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

A 2005 expedition to the same stretch of jungle - dubbed by Conservation International as a "Lost World" because of its remoteness and biological richness - found dozens of exotic new species of plants and insects.

On this most recent trip, the scientists also recorded the mating displays of several little-known birds for the first time, including the golden-fronted bowerbird and the black sicklebill bird of paradise.​

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A probable new species of pygmy possum (top) and the Ornate fruit-dove​

They also observed a "lost" bird of paradise, Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise, last seen by outsiders in the 19th century.

The expedition was accompanied by a National Geographic photographer and a camera crew from the American network CBS.

"It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Conservation International's vice-president, Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.

"We were pleased to see that this little piece of Eden remains as pristine and enchanting as it was when we first visited."

The Foja Wilderness is part of the great Mamberamo Basin, the largest untouched tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.

The province of Papua - not to be confused with neighbouring Papua New Guinea - boasts more than 100 million acres of tropical forest and some of the richest bio-diversity in the world.

The Indonesian government has declared the region a National Wildlife Sanctuary, but surrounding areas are under threat from clearing for palm oil plantations as well as rampant illegal logging.

The scientists plan another expedition to the area in late 2008 or 2009, when they expect to discover more species of mammals, frogs and butterflies.
 
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Dont know much about the dove - but if your looking for Giant Rats there plentiful at houses of parliment
 
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