NEW GUINEA – A new species of giant rat, measuring an astounding and frightening 82cm in length, has been founding roaming deep in the jungle of Papua, New Guinea.
A BBC film team on expedition was awed by its size. The rat has no fear of humans, and is believed to live within the Mount Bosavi crater, and nowhere else.
The giant rat was first captured on film by an infrared camera which was set up in the forest on the slopes of the volcano. A team from the BBC Natural History Unit then recorded the rat rummaging around on the forest floor, and were awed by its size.
The rat’s silver-brown coat of thick long fur, scientists believe, may help it survive the wet and cold conditions that can occur within the high volcano crater at an elevation of over 1,000m.
Initial investigations suggest the rat, provisionally called the Bosavi woolly rat until a scientific name is agreed upon, belongs to the genus Mallomys, which contains a handful of other out-sized species.
This, however, is only one of a number of exotic animals found by the team. Curiously, no word on what those other animals are.
Click the link to see a video of this cute little thing.
SOURCE: BBC Earth News
Posted on September 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm by Lin McNulty
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