Lost World of New Species Found in Jungle

[Behind the Aegis]

(Jan. 7) - Scientists said on Tuesday they had found a "Lost World" in an Indonesian mountain jungle, home to dozens of exotic new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants.

It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the team of 11 U.S., Indonesian, and Australian scientists who made the discoveries during a monthlong expedition.

The team also found wildlife that were remarkably unafraid of humans during its survey, he said. The group visited the Foja Mountains, which have more than 2 million acres of old growth tropical forest located in eastern Indonesia's Papua province.

Indigenous people living near the Foja range, which rises to 7,218 feet, said they did not venture into the trackless area of 1,200 square miles -- roughly the size of Rhode Island.

more...

[NYCGirl]

1. What an amazing story. It's wonderful. NT

[entanglement]

5. I have mixed feelings about this

I'm delighted such a paradise still exists on earth, but afraid that since it's been "discovered", it won't stay that way much longer!

[LiberalPartisan]

6. Did they find Adam and Eve riding dinosaurs? n/t

[bluerum]

2. Lets log, mine and pave the entire area. It could also use a Walmart.

:sarcasm:

[lapfog_1]

4. Not to mention a planned retirement community...

after all, that new Wal-Mart will need some customers... and workers.

[Joe Chi Minh]

23. Eminent domain?

[bluerum]

29. Walmart will generate greater tax revenues than the soon to be

extinct animals and plants that live there.

:sarcasm:

[DS1]

3. What if they find a lost jungle next week that's even CLOSER to the

Garden of Eden, eh? Betcha didn't think about that then, didya, Mr. Smartpants Beehler

:D

[entanglement]

7. Thanks, Behind the Aegis

:toast:

[Behind the Aegis]

11. You're welcome.

I thought it was nice to see that there are parts of the world untouched (until now :() by the seemingly endless violence and hate. It also serves as a reminder that beauty and wonder still exist, we just have to look harder! :)

[FreedomAngel82]

16. What I thought amazing

was how unafraid the animals were! The little animal in the first picture is so cute and you can tell is very friendly and loving. There's just something interesting about how these animals were so happy to be around these people.

[Joe Chi Minh]

24. Good job they don't know about the abattoirs

and the vivisection research. It would be the ultimate horror film for them, wouldn't it? A kind of Chainsaw Massacre. Only worse, because more protracted.

[G_j]

8. Quick, patent all the DNA !!!

about time some multinational owned that stuff!

[Wind Dancer]

10. Give them a few days, you can count on it.

Monsanto is probably already working on the seed patent.

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. Yeah, I think Monsanto are going to want to have words

with those guys.

[Kansas Wyatt]

9. George W. Bush: 'We must bomb and destroy these hybrids.

Saddam Osama unleashed some yellow-cake in this remote part of the world with the intention of building a hybrid army to attack America, and this has been confirmed by recently discover documents on him in jail. If we do not destroy them now, they will be swarming over us, and this will not happen on my watch.'

[freeplessinseattle]

12. kick nt

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Wow how neat!

And animals not afraid of humans? Nice. :) How fascinating! See, this is one good reason why I don't get why so many people out there hate science.

[SoCalDem]

14. I wish they had not told WHERE it is..

It's nice to think that there is someplace on earth that is relatively unspoiled, and it hurts to know that those places used to be everywhere.:cry:

[FreedomAngel82]

17. I know what you mean

People will be wanting to go there and 'explore.'

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. K & R. Something to be PLEASED about for a change.

Though my expectation is that it will all too soon be raped with illegal logging and sold off to rich investors, it's good to know that at this moment it is still there.

[laruemtt]

18. i was so excited -

for about five seconds before i remembered what they did to that other paradise the amazon rain forest........

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. The WASHINGTON POST has a long FRONT PAGE article on this with PIX & map!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020702082.html

A Lost World in Indonesia Yields Riches for Scientists

By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; Page A01

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 7 -- A team of scientists has discovered a lost world of rare plants, giant flowers and bizarre animals -- including a new species of honeyeater bird, a tree kangaroo and an egg-laying mammal -- on a mist-shrouded mountaintop in a remote province of Indonesia on New Guinea island.

Flown by helicopter to a mountain preserve virtually untouched by humans, the scientists found more than 40 species new to science. They also spotted the legendary six-wired bird of paradise, a species with distinctive wiry head plumes that was first described in 1897 but that has proved elusive ever since.

Team leaders on Tuesday described how they spent two weeks in December, butterfly nets and binoculars at the ready, traversing the foggy slopes of the Foja Mountains in Papua province. Among trees encrusted with moss and draped with huge ferns, they marveled as birds and animals approached with no fear.

"It has a fairyland quality," said Bruce Beehler, an ornithologist with Conservation International in Washington and the expedition's co-leader. "It's a spectacularly beautiful Garden of Eden."

(snip - much more!)

The PIX are in a SLIDE SHOW with an audio track of forest sounds, captions and 16 photos. Don't miss this!

[flvegan]

20. Thanks for the link. The slideshow/audio is incredible!

What pristine beauty.

[Beaverhausen]

28. Thanks for that link!

Can you imagine how exciting this must have been for those scientists?

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. Yes, I can imagine. I'm a scientist and nature lover myself and I can

see the awe and joy in their faces in the WaPo slide show.

[ClayZ]

21. Beautiful, thanks!

How lovely!


:kick:

[Straight Shooter]

22. Here come the rich white tourists ...

:(

[formerrepuke]

26. Such a shame- all that undeveloped land going to waste.... I only

hope some Western developers get down there soon, before it's all completely overgrown with plants and bugs. ))sarcasm((

[zanne]

27. And most of the animals have no fear of humans....

Most of the species discovered have no fear of humans because they don't have any natural predators. Uh oh.

[populistdriven]

31. I bet the Big Pharma's have

already packed 40 tons of specimen cages and portable freezer units

:sarcasm: