Bizarre creature named after David Attenborough, found after 60 years

Scientists have rediscovered a long-lost mammal species with the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater, the feet of a mole – and the name of a national treasure.

The long-nosed Attenborough hedgehog, named after Sir David Attenborough, has been spotted in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia more than 60 years after it was last seen.

The tiny individual was photographed and filmed for the first time by a wildlife camera on the last day of a four-week expedition led by scientists from the University of Oxford.

Previously, the species was only identified from a museum specimen in 1961 and had never been seen in the wild.

After descending from the mountains at the end of the journey, biologist James Kempton found the footage of the small creature walking through the forest undergrowth on the last memory card, captured by more than 80 remote cameras.

“There was great euphoria, but also relief because I had spent so long in the field without reward until the very last day,” he said, describing the moment he first saw the images with staff from Indonesian conservation group Yappenda.

“I called out to my colleagues who were left… and said, ‘We found it, we found it.’ I ran from my desk to the living room and hugged the boys.”

Echidnas share their name with a mythical Greek creature that is half-woman and half-snake and were described by the team as shy, nocturnal cavemen that are notoriously difficult to find.

“The reason it looks so different from other mammals is because it belongs to the monotremes – an egg-laying group that split from the rest of the mammal tree about 200 million years ago,” says Kempton.

Only three other species of echidna have been found in Australia and the lowlands of New Guinea.

The only other monotreme is the duck-billed platypus.

The Attenborough long-snouted echidna is one of 25 animals on conservation organization Re:Wild’s ‘Most Wanted’ list as part of its Search for Lost Species programme.

Previously rediscovered species include the Somali sengi, the elephant shrew and the Fernandina giant tortoise.

The Kempton team survived an earthquake, malaria and even a leech on their eyeball during their journey. They teamed up with the local village of Yongsu Sapari to explore the remote area of ​​Northeast Papua.

The echidna is ingrained in local culture, including a tradition that says conflicts are resolved by sending one disputing party into the forest to look for the mammal and the other into the sea to find a marlin, the elders said from Yongsu Sapari University.

Both creatures were considered so difficult to find that it often took decades or a generation to find them, but once found the animals symbolized the end of conflict and the return to harmonious relationships.