Indonesia has three groups of fauna, Asiatic fauna, Transitional fauna, and Australis fauna. The fauna of Papua Island is included in the Australian fauna group. The type of animal has similarities with animals on the Australian continent. According to the book Geography kara L. Iskandar, the endemic animals of West Papuan include the following: birds of paradise, king cockatoo, double wattled cassowary, parrots, seller pages fish, ceratodus fish, and small kangaroos. Here we compile 7 out of millions types of endemic animals for you.
7 Endemic Animals of West Papuan
The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) noted that as of 2019, there were 241 mammal species in Papua. This number does not include the diversity of other species, such as hundreds of bird species and various marine species. Wow, that’s a lot, huh!
Even now, scientists are studying the variety of plants and animals that inhabit Papua. The 2014 Langguru Expedition was one of the most significant investigations of the island’s biodiversity.
This 6-week expedition by hundreds of researchers succeeded in discovering 50 new species of flora and fauna from different taxa, such as birds, insects, amphibians, corals, and orchids. So are you more curious about other endemic animals of West Papuan? This time, let’s get acquainted with 7 of them!
1. Red Bird of Paradise
A medium-sized bird, the red bird of paradise, has a body length of around 33 cm. The Latin name for this bird is Paradisaea rubra, which may be found in the highest plains with a moderate amount of forest cover. The male bird performs dances and sings while perched on a tree to display his exquisite feathers.
2. The Victorian Mambruk
Mambruk Victoria is 74 cm in length and has distinctive grayish blue fur. Lowlands, swamp forests, and sahu forests in Papua are frequent habitats for this bird. They are an endemic animal of West Papuan who pick tree branches from which to build their typically made-of-twigs-and-leaves nests.
3. The Golden Mantle Tree Kangaroo
The golden coat tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) is a marsupial species found in West Papua. This animal’s hallmark has fine light brown hair all over its body. Long tail with a circle motif like a ring with a bright color.
4. The Spotted Carpet Shark
Spotted carpet sharks are a type of shark that can only be found in Papuan waters. The spotted carpet shark has a body length of about 46 cm and is not aggressive. These sharks are nocturnal or active at night and are often found around coral rocks.
5. Cassowary Bird
The cassowary is a large bird in the world but cannot fly and is one of the endemic animals of West Papuan. It lives alone and will pair up when the breeding season arrives. Uniquely, only male birds incubate and raise their young. Male cassowaries are 30-37 kg lighter than females, which is 58 kg.
6. Reimani
The Reimani tortoise is a unique turtle with a long neck. This turtle is also included in the type of freshwater turtle with its primary food in the form of fish, insects, and plants. The carapace or shell is tough but smooth and slightly flatter when compared to some other types of turtles.
7. The Irian Hedgehog
Irian Hedgehog (Zaglossus bruijnii) is a mammal that can lay eggs. Just like hedgehogs in general, this animal has long, black spines. The snout is long enough that it functions as a sense of smell to track the scent of food.
Wrapping Up
Apart from these seven faunas, there are also many other endemic animals of West Papuan worth studying and learning about. Several have not yet received complete information, which requires further investigation.
Well, this is one of the essential roles of researchers in Indonesia as a mega biodiversity country. Currently, our country needs many researchers to explore the richness of flora and fauna that exist. Because if it’s not us as Indonesians who do the research, who else?
