An elusive Attenborough's long-beaked echidna which was feared extinct after disappearing for six decades has been rediscovered in a remote part of Indonesia.
* It is also known as Sir David's long-beaked echidna or the Cyclops long-beaked echidna.
* It is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus that inhabits the island of New Guinea.
* It is named in honour of naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
* Habitat: It lives in the Cyclops Mountains, which are near the cities of Sentani and Jayapura in the Indonesian province of Papua.
* It is the smallest echidna species.
* Echidnas are nocturnal and shy, making them difficult to find at the best of times.
* It appears so unlike other mammals is because it is a member of the monotremes -- an egg-laying group that separated from the rest of the mammal tree-of-life about 200 million years ago.
* Conservation status
* IUCN Red List : Critically Endangered
* CITES : Appendix II.
Source : The Hindu