Take a look at this bizarre mammal who got discovered again after 60 years

Sixty years ago a strange, egg-laying mammal was recorded. Now, after six decades, an expedition team got lucky and successful in rediscovering the same egg-laying mammal in a region of the world that is one of the most untapped. Attenborough's echidna, the long-beaked mammal has derived its name from famous broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. The mammal was captured in videos and images for the very first time with the help of trial cameras stationed in the Cyclops Mountains of the Papua Province of Indonesia.

The expedition was a partnership among the Yayasan Pelayanan Papua Nenda (Indonesian NGO_, Papua BBKSDA, Re: wild, the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, the Cenderawasih University, and the University of Oxford. The huge partnership not only rediscovered the bizarre mammal but also brought forward huge findings.

The bizarre mammal

It was in the year 1961 when the mammal was recorded by science for the very first time. Attendborough's echidna is an evolutionary distinct type of egg-laying mammal. The group was also comprised of monotremes. It is not easy to find echidnas as these mammals are nocturnal. These reside inside burrows. Moreover, these mammals also tend to be extremely shy. Sir David's long-beaked echidna has not been recorded anywhere except the Cyclops Mountains. At present, the mammals are classified as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The team was eager to fetch one and thus it stationed about 80 trial cameras. Interestingly, with an earnest desire to find one echidna, the team climbed 11,00 meters, which is actually a distance more than Everest's height. What is even more interesting is the fact that the team spent four weeks in search of an echidna, but the cameras failed to record even a single echidna until the very last day of the expedition. It was Professor Kristofer Helgen, the chief scientist of the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) and a mammologist who confirmed the identification of the species.

The other findings

The team was successful in bringing forward other findings too. For instance, the team brought forward an entirely novel genus of shrimp. Additionally, various new species of insects have also been found by the team. Not to miss, the team also found Mayr's honeyeater. Additionally, the team was successful in finding a previously unknown and strange cave system.

The expedition was not easy for the team, as it brought forward many obstacles such as uneasy terrain, earthquakes, and venomous animals.