Two marsupials thought to have been extinct for 6,000 years found alive

Two marsupial species that scientists thought went extinct at least 6,000 years ago have been found alive on the island of New Guinea.

The ring-tailed glider and pygmy opossum, previously known to science only from fossils found in Australia, have now been found and photographed on the Vogelkop Peninsula in Papua, Indonesia with the help of local indigenous communities.

Tim Flannery at the Australian Museum in Sydney, says it took years of detective work for him and his colleagues to confirm that the animals were in fact back from the dead, involving exciting sightings, misidentified museum specimens and the recovery of subfossil remains.

Recent photographic evidence and close collaboration with local communities have finally allowed researchers to confirm that the animals are indeed alive, but their habitat faces serious threats from logging. Scientists know little about their exact range and ecological needs, which poses challenges for their conservation.

Scott Hucknull at Central Queensland University in Australia, who was not part of the team, says the discoveries are “more important than finding a living thylacine in Tasmania.”

Orbital glider (Tous ayamaruensis) is related to the three Australian species of larger gliders in the genus Petauroides. However, it has a number of fundamental differences, notably a prehensile tail and non-furred ears, which led researchers to reassign it to its own genus.

Some indigenous communities in the region consider the glider sacred and an animal to be shunned and protected, which may have contributed to it remaining unknown to science until now.

“It’s one of the most photogenic animals, the most beautiful marsupials you’ll ever see,” says Flannery.

long-toed pygmy opossums (Dactylonax kambuayai) is a beautifully striped animal with one digit on each hand that is twice as long as the other fingers.

“They also have a lot of ear specializations that seem to be related to low-frequency sound detection,” says Flannery. “So they’re probably listening to the beetle larvae, and then they’re going to tear apart the rotting wood and use that finger to fish out the spine.”

The exact location where the animals live is being kept secret due to concerns that wildlife traders could target the species.

Flannery warns these traders against this. “They would be incredibly difficult to keep in captivity. Because their diet is so highly specialized. Advanced warning for anyone thinking of keeping one as a pet: it won’t live long,” he says.

The fossil record Puck the genus is as mysterious as its living presence, says Hucknull. There are 3 million to 4 million year old fossil teeth from sites in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia, a gap up to 280,000 years ago, when fossils in Etna and Capricorn Caves in Queensland indicate that the ancient Puck was a relatively common opossum.

“The smallest fossil species is indistinguishable from Puck now found alive in West Papua,” says Hucknull.

“Pocket-sized, quirky and cute Dactylonax kambuayai is as important as Puck,” he says. “With its massively elongated finger and small size that would fit in the palm of your hand, it has a special ecological role.”

David Lindenmayer at the Australian National University in Canberra says these are “fascinating and important discoveries”.

“I am also very concerned about the scale of logging and land clearing in New Guinea,” he says. “It also makes me think about what may have been lost in Australia as a result of all the land clearing that has been going on here.”

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