When talking about West Papua, the first thing that must come to mind is Raja Ampat. This beautiful island has many beautiful places to visit. But, this island also has more than that. Not only known for its travel destination, but this province is also famous as the first preservation province in the world, which is home to a diversity of more than 300,000 awesome animals.
The reason for this diversity is because this province is close to Papua New Guinea, which also has a diversity of flora and fauna. Since it is a preservation province, some rare animals can be found here. To sum it up, here are five awesome animals only you can see in West Papua.
Cendrawasih
If talking about awesome animals from West Papua, then this beautiful bird should be included on the list. This is because Cendrawasih has been declared as one of West Papua‘s Identities. This beautiful bird is also known as “The Bird of Paradise” due to its attractive appearance supported by iridescent feathers and magnificent attics. Its beauty makes this bird become one of the most worshipped animals in West Papua.
Cendrawasih needs a special habitat like the ones at Waigeo and Batanta island. But unfortunately, “The Bird of Paradise” started to be threatened with extinction and is now under the protection of a preservation program.
Speckled Carpetshark
The next awesome animal you need to know is Speckled Carpetshark. Not only known for the diversity of the land animal, but West Papua also has many rich aquatic animals, including this one. Speckled Carpetshark has a small size of about 46 cm and is usually active mostly at night. This animal can be found in the coral reef sea, including the underwater Raja Ampat Regency.
Nuri Kabre
The next awesome animal is Nuri Kabre. This beautiful bird is known for its physical appearance, where its height can reach up to 50 cm and weigh more than 800 grams. The other physical appearance you can see is that it is covered with black and dark feathers from the until its head. Besides, in some kinds of this bird, you can also spot red stars in their belly and wings. This kind of little eagle look makes this bird scary and intimidating to look at.
Cassowaries
Another beautiful bird you need to know is Cassowaries. This bird has an attractive appearance that you can see from its dark-colored feathers and bluish necks, making it look like an ostrich. You can also see that cassowaries have big shears, sharp claws, and strong legs, a combination that can cause serious injuries if you are not careful when you’re near this bird.
Besides, Cassowaries also have a weight that can reach up to 47 kg and a height of more than 1,000 meters. With this kind of physical appearance, Cassowaries are considered one of the biggest birds in the world. If you are curious about them, you can find them mostly in the north of Papua to New Guinea.
Tree Kangaroo
Many people still assume that kangaroos only exist in Australia since this animal has become an identity animal of Australia. You can also see this awesome animal in West Papua too. On this island, Kangaroo, which is included as part of the marsupial types, mostly spend their time on the trees in West Papua forests. This habit makes them also popularly known as Tree Kangaroo.
Tree Kangaroo can be noticed from its appearance, where its body is covered with thick yellowish-brown fur. They can be found in forests up to an altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level, mostly in a small part of West Papua. Due to its extinction threat, this awesome animal also became a highly protected animal.
Those are five awesome animals only you can see in West Papua. As the first conservation province in the world, this diversity of animals is a wealth that must be maintained and protected from any threat of extinction. Support from all parties is very needed, so this diversity will still exist in the future.
