New species discovered in Papua New Guinea

A team of biologists and filmmakers from the BBC have found strange spiders, a rat the size of a cat and a frog with fangs co-habiting in a pristine giant volcano in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. A team of biologists and filmmakers from the BBC have found strange spiders, a rat the size of a cat and a frog with fangs co-habiting in a pristine giant volcano in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The animals were found in the 'lost world" of the Mount Bosavi crater, an extinct volcano so remote and inaccessible that no humans live there. Instead, an amazing array of exotic fauna has thrived. Among them is the Bosavi woolly rat, an over-sized � but vegetarian � rodent that measures almost 3 feet long and weighs in at 3.3lbs. Steve Greenwood, series producer for Lost Land of the Volcano, said that after scaling the volcano's 2,800m summit, the team were rewarded by finding a wealth of new creatures. They suspect they may have discovered up to 40 new species, including approximately 16 species of frog, one species of gecko, at least three new species of fish, 20 species of insect and spider and one new species of bat. "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," Mr Greenwood said. With the help of local trackers, the team descended into the crater and spent two weeks documenting the animals they found there. The trip was planned over months, because of the difficulties of reaching the area.