The subalpine woolly rat, measuring a whopping 2.7ft in length, has been discovered in the highlands of Papua New Guinea – and has been caught on camera for the first time
A gigantic rat species, stretching over 2.5 feet in length, has been found residing in the lofty mountains of Papua New Guinea.
Labelled the subalpine woolly rat, this enormous creature boasts razor-sharp teeth, dense fur, and claws measuring a whopping three inches – and it’s been snapped for the first time ever, as per MailOnline.
Incredible footage captures the woolly rat darting along a tree limb under the cover of darkness, presumably on the prowl for its next meal. But fear not, those of you dreading bedtime – this mammoth rodent isn’t a resident of Blighty; it calls the steep, craggy peaks of Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea home.
The find is credited to FrantisÌŒek VejmeÌŒlka, a scientist from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
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His words on the matter: “It’s astonishing that such a large and striking animal has remained so poorly studied. How much more is there to discover about the biodiversity of tropical mountains?”, reports Birmingham Live.
Up until this point, the giant rodent – known scientifically as Mallomys istapantap – was only recognised from a handful of museum exhibits, initially described back in 1989, and had evaded wild sightings for thirty years.
However, during an extensive six-month field trip, Mr VejmeÌŒlka, collaborating with indigenous tribes, managed to secure both photographic and video evidence of this secretive creature in its natural surroundings.
Researchers placed camera traps approximately 12,000ft up Mount Wilhelm, which has a summit of 14,793ft. The cameras captured the rat’s movements through misty forests and grasslands.
Measuring 2.7 feet in length, including its tail, and weighing nearly 2kg, the subalpine woolly rat is significantly larger than its brown rat cousin, which grows to 11 inches and weighs 200-300g.
The woolly rat is comparable in length to a domestic cat, which typically weighs between 3.6 to 4.5kg and measures around 2.3 feet in length.
The study gathered crucial data on the rat’s diet, parasites, activity patterns, and movement, providing valuable insights into a species that has remained hidden for so long.
The nocturnal creature leads a secretive life, climbing trees at night, hiding in burrows or treetops by day, and feeding exclusively on plants.
The findings, published in the journal Mammalia, mark a significant advancement in understanding the mysterious mammals of New Guinea’s remote mountains.
“These are the first specimen records in 30 years for this spectacular mammal poorly known to science,” said Mr VejmeÌŒlka, crediting the local tribes for their assistance in the discovery.
“Camera trap images and video, as well as photographs of the habitat and hunting with indigenous people, deepen our understanding of the activity patterns, locomotion, diet, intrageneric elevational partitioning, and behavioural ecology of the woolly rats.”
These New Guinean woolly rats, along with the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, are the largest rodents in the murine family and have evolved over five million years on rainforest-covered mountain slopes – untouched by competing mammals.
However, despite its impressive size, the subalpine woolly rat isn’t the biggest rat out there.
The title of the largest rat goes to the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), which can grow up to 3ft long – with its tail making up half of that length.
Also in contention is the Malagasy giant rat (Hypogeomys antimena) from Madagascar, which reaches around 2ft.
Yet, none of today’s rodents quite match up to prehistoric giants like Josephoartigasia monesi or Phoberomys pattersoni – now extinct – which once roamed the Earth as part of the planet’s long-lost megafauna.
These larger-than-life beasts likely became extinct due to climate changes, environmental shifts, and human hunting.
But the recent discovery of the subalpine woolly rat proves that the world still harbours plenty of hidden giants – and not all of them are confined to legend.
