Scientists had always believed that a treasure awaited them at Mt. Bosavi in Papua New Guinea. The treasure of never-before-seen species of animal life. Animals unable to move beyond the 1,000-metre crater walls were thought likely to have evolved in distinct ways after thousands of years in isolation.In an extraordinary development an expedition led by Dr George McGavin from Oxford University's Museum of Natural History went to the extinct volcano of Mt. Bosavi and the BBC filmed the newly discovered species.
The results are gripping, including a giant rat, a frog with fangs and a fish that grunts.The team from London Zoo and Oxford University claim the volcano and the surrounding land is virtually as it was since the volcano erupted 200,000 years ago.
Opening to Mageni cave, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
The Bosavi silky cuscus mammal
The endangered Litoria sauroni amphibian
Common tube-nosed bat found by expert Alanna Maltby
The Bosavi woolly rat had no fear of humans when it was discovered. At up to a metre in length and is said to be “as big as a cat”. The specimen trapped by the team weighed almost 1.5kg. Living almost a kilometre down in the volcano, the rat has thick fur and teeth which suggest a vegetarian diet. It is the biggest rat in the world.
The black and yellow noctuid caterpillars found by George McGavin. When the caterpillars sit together like this they resemble a small snake, possibly as a defence strategy
A striped possum, found by Muse Opiang and Gordon Buchanan, an animal which lets out a strong odour as a defence mechanism
An iridescent beetle found in the rain forest
A jungle spider camouflaged as lichen.
A hairy caterpillar found in the rain forestImages: The Guardian