He was not dead, he was out partying. It is always a pleasure to give this news, in relation to species that were supposedly extinct. Animals that had not been seen for decades and that, therefore, were about to descend to the bottom step of the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Of critical danger of extinction has disappeared. It is the case of Attenborough’s echidnaan egg-laying mammal that has been recorded in the Cyclops mountains of Indonesia after 60 years without reporting.
Those responsible for the discovery have gone through an odyssey. The team had to endure an earthquake, some fell ill with malaria and there was even a scientist who had to deal with a leech in his eye. But, for them, everything it has been worth itsince they have been able to demonstrate that the platypus is less alone in the world than we believed.
And the Attenborough echidna belongs to the order of monotremes, which classifies the most primitive mammals that currently exist on earth. These animals retain some reptilian characteristics, such as the presence of cloacas and reproduction by eggs. But they also breastfeed their young.
There are two types of monotremes: platypuses and echidnas. Previously there were many species, but little by little they have been succumbing to extinction. Today, it was believed that only one species of platypus and three species of echidna remained. But now we know there are four. There is no record of how many companions the specimen that has been recorded in the mountains of Indonesia will have, but its discoverers hope that they will be enough to save it at least for a time from the race towards disappearance.
The echidna that has avoided extinction
It has been 60 years since the Attenborough echidna was last seen (Zaglossus attenboroughi), baptized with this name in honor of the broadcaster and biologist David Attenborough: the English Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente.
Also known as Sir David’s zaglossus or long-beaked echidna, was described for the first time in 1961, from a very damaged specimen, found in the Cyclops Mountains. That was the last time he was seen.
However, in 2007 a team of scientists found footprints and burrows that seemed to correspond to this animal. Logically, from a burrow you cannot know exactly what species of echidna it is. However, it was the only one that had been seen in these mountains in the last century.
Given this hope, the doctor James Kemptonfrom the University of Oxford, launched an expedition heading to the Cyclops mountains. An international team of scientists participated in it, hoping to better understand the fauna of this area of Indonesia. But also with the desire to find this elusive echidna.
After three years of planning, they placed more than 80 cameras, in one of which they finally found what they had wanted so much. Attenborough’s echidna had escaped extinction.
Will there be more copies?
In the video of these scientists only one echidna is seen. However, this is not unusual, since these mammals generally They live alone almost all year round. They only look for company in the summer, during the mating season, and then they return to their solitary life.
Other echidnas are known to They have a life expectancy of 60 years. If this is also your case, it may be decades since your species has bred in the Cyclops Mountains. But there may also be other specimens. It is a very leafy area where it is difficult to find such small and elusive animals like these.
Therefore, the Kempton team hopes to find some more. Hopefully there will be enough to help them move a few steps away from their race towards extinction.