A species of long-beaked echidna has been filmed for the first time in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia, proving that the Zaglossus attenboroughi, which scientists thought was extinct, is actually still present on the planet.
On the sidelines of an expedition to Oceania, a team of researchers from Oxford University managed to film four three-second clips showing the animal, BBC News reports.
Scientists call echidnas, mammals with beaks, fur and needles, “living fossils” that were formed about 200 million years ago.
Until now, Zaglossus attenboroughi, named after the famous British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, was known from bones found decades ago and displayed in museums.
“I was euphoric, the whole team was euphoric,” says researcher Dr. James Kempton on the moment he saw the animal for the first time. It was on the last SD card we checked.”
This is the fourth species of echidna identified by scientists.
Kempton hopes this rediscovery of Zaglossus attenboroughi will lead to more conservation efforts in the Cyclops Mountains.
Researchers don’t know how many of this species there are or whether their population is well equipped to survive.
Check out the images filmed by the researchers in the video above