Scientists and filmmakers have discovered a new species of giant rat deep in the jungle of Papua New Guinea along with other other animals hitherto unseen.
The woolly rat, an over-sized vegetarian rodent, measures 82 cm long and weighs in at 1.5 Kg. Its size makes it amongst the largest species of rat known anywhere in the world.
The creature was discovered by an expedition team filming for BBC program Lost Land of the Volcano.
But the large rat is only one of dozens of new creatures found in the shadow of the Bosavi volcano. The team also found scores of strange spiders and around 20 species of insect.
"Highlights include a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish called the Henamo Grunter, so named because it makes grunting noises from its swim bladder," Steve Greenwood, series producer for Lost Land of the Volcano, said. The fanged frog is only one of some 16 new frogs discovered.
The area in which the animals were found is particularly inaccessible and the team spent several weeks scaling the 2,800 meter summit with the help from local trackers.
<i>Source:Xinhua/Agencies</i>
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