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Scientists rediscover two species thought extinct for millennia
A tiny possum with elongated fingers and a ring-tailed glider capable of gripping branches have been found alive in remote West Papuan rainforests, marking what researchers call an "exceptional" scientific breakthrough. Both species were believed to have vanished approximately 6,000 years ago.
The discoveries
The findings, published in the Records of the Australian Museum on Friday, document the reappearance of two so-called "Lazarus taxa"-species named after the biblical figure resurrected from the dead. While rediscoveries of lost species occur infrequently, the identification of two in a single study is described as "remarkable" by the research team.
The pygmy long-fingered possum
Weighing roughly 200 grams, the striped pygmy long-fingered possum was last recorded in Australia during the Ice Age. Its most distinctive feature is an unusually long fourth finger on each hand, measuring twice the length of its other digits. Scientists believe this adaptation enables the possum to extract wood-boring insect larvae, its primary food source.
The ring-tailed glider
The second species, a ring-tailed glider, shares traits with its Australian relative, the greater glider, including a prehensile tail used to grasp tree branches. Like the possum, it inhabits the hollows of tall trees in the region's dense forests.
How the species were found
The rediscovery was the result of a painstaking process combining decades-old fossils, rare photographs, and preserved specimens. Researchers from the University of Papua, alongside co-authors Prof. Tim Flannery and Prof. Kris Helgen, collaborated with local elders from the Tambrauw and Maybrat clans-communities with limited contact with the modern world until the 1960s.
"Without their knowledge, identifying these species would not have been possible," said Rika Korain, a Maybrat woman and co-author of the study.
Rika Korain, study co-author
Flannery noted the cultural significance of the glider to the clans, describing it as a sacred animal whose name is rarely spoken and which is never hunted.
Threats and conservation efforts
Despite their rediscovery, both species face immediate threats from logging in their habitat. Flannery highlighted ongoing efforts by scientists and wildlife organizations to secure native title for the forests, ensuring that logging cannot proceed without local consent.
Significance of the find
"The discovery of one Lazarus taxon is an exceptional event. But finding two species, both presumed extinct for thousands of years, is extraordinary."
Prof. Tim Flannery, study co-author
