A Mysterious Rat Vanished Into the Mountains in 1989. It Just Showed Its Face for the First Time Since.
Here's what you'll learn about when you read this story.
Mallomys istapantap is the largest (and also least studied) species of woolly rat in New Guinea, and it has finally been documented in photos and on video.
This species was first documented in 1989, but in their attempts to further study the creature, researchers had little to go off of other than a handful of museum specimens.
The knowledge preserved by local Indigenous people suggests that only sightings of the M. istapantap by scientists—and not the species itself—are rare.
Not all rats are sewer or subway denizens skittering away with someone's slice of pizza (and then going viral for it). In the remote mountain rainforests of Papua New Guinea, there is a creature that has managed to elude humans for decades—a giant rat that hides in the leafy shadows and has never known a discarded pizza crust.
Meet Mallomys istapantap, the Subalpine Woolly Rat of New Guinea. This behemoth of a rodent can easily grow to be the size of a house cat and reach lengths of 85 centimeters (or 33 inches). Several different species of woolly rat have been found in the region, but M. istapantap is easily the largest, and the least studied. It is also one of the largest rodents in the world, next to species such as pacarenas and capybaras. Now, zoologist František Vejmělka has become the first to document this mysterious nocturnal rodent in the wild, catching the creature on both photo and video as it scurries down a tree branch at just past sunset.
'It seems that the rarity of the Subalpine Woolly Rat in museum collections and the limited knowledge on its ecology do not reflect its true rarity in nature, but are rather connected only to the remoteness of the habitats it occupies and to the fact that it cannot be recorded by standard methods of small rodent trapping,' Vejmělka said in a study recently published in the journal Mammalia.
Isolated island habitats can lead to the evolution of some exotic and unusual fauna. Along with outsize rats, New Guinea is home to birds of paradise, iridescent snakes, fanged frogs, grunting fish, tree kangaroos, and several rare species of echidna that exist nowhere else on Earth. Mallomys is a whole genus endemic to the island, and consists of four species of woolly rat. The other species have slightly better documentation, but M. istapantap was first described in 1989 and only visually documented through an illustration in 1995. Until now, the only way to study it up close has been through a handful of museum specimens.
M. istapantap is an herbivore that eats mostly ferns and lives in mossy forests or grasslands near the mountains. It is mostly terrestrial—though still able to climb trees if it needs to escape predators—and its thick and shaggy fur keeps it from feeling the chill of high elevations. The species name 'istapantap' is Melanesian Pidgin (spoken by the local Indigenous people) and means 'living above' or 'it is on the top.' This knowledge of the creature's existence shows that it is probably glimpsed regularly among the roots and leaves by locals. Hunters who helped Vejmělka collect samples seemed to know areas where he was most likely to find M. istapantap, though population numbers are still unknown.
In addition to having local hunters as his guides, Vejmělka set up a camera trap on a fallen log over a stream in a dense forest on Mount Wilhelm—the highest mountain in New Guinea. The camera ran for eight nights until a male M. istapantap, eyes shining in the darkness, was filmed crawling across the log.
Woolly rat species that live in lower elevations have longer tails, while those in higher elevations have shorter tails—an axiom that also applies to the white-tipped tail of M. istapantap. They have dark, brownish-grayish fur with white undersides and pale feet, and females are slightly larger than males. Vejmělka also discovered a color variation never seen before in the species (or any rodent species in the Hydromyini group of rodents, for that matter), which features a streak of yellow on the chest that he thinks is either genetic or staining from sebaceous glands. (This might be related to territorial behavior.)
'The results presented here show primarily the persisting importance of conducting field expeditions in the present, particularly to understudied regions of the Earth,' said Vejmělka. 'The combination of modern and traditional detection methods […] resulted in the first specimen records of this remarkable rodent in over 30 years.'
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Geek Girl Authority
2 days ago
- Geek Girl Authority
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D'arcy could stand to forgive herself, too. Instead, D'arcy pours alcohol into her coffee and takes a sip. RELATED: Read our Resident Alien recaps Kate and Ben head into said diner. Kate experiences a flashback from the Greys' Moon base. She realizes D'arcy was there. Uh-oh. Kate storms out. Meanwhile, Harry tries to reckon with being human, which includes his lactose intolerance. Heather winds up on his doorstep with a host of babies in a basket. As it turns out, Harry is a daddy … again. Resident Alien drops new episodes every Friday at 11 pm ET on Syfy and USA Network. Syfy Renews THE ARK for Season 3 Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Where to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent
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Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
First-year student honoured to be chosen for Reconciliation in Action Award
Graduates at the Prince Albert Campus of Saskatchewan Polytechnic crossed the stage at the Art Hauser Centre on Thursday. The convocation ceremony took place in two parts with a morning and afternoon session. Jade Littlechief, a first-year student in Resource and Environmental Law program, received the Reconciliation in Action Award. Littlechief, who is originally from White Bear First Nations in the southeast, said he was shocked to be recognized as a first-year student. 'I was very surprised, but also it was a very big boost, and with how I feel about education and all that I'm very honoured to be selected for it,' he said. 'I know that the best way I could explain is (to say) I wasn't expecting that especially within my first year of school. 'I'm very appreciative, but also honoured to be able to be selected for an award like that.' Littlechief said he offers a different perspective as one of the only Indigenous students in the program 'This program really revolves around conservation and stewardship of the land, and a lot of these graduates are going to be conservation officers after this program many years down the road,' he said. 'I think it's very important for myself, but also future Indigenous students to be in this program, just to get that future understanding of the differences and all that and just being able to have that first-hand experience with different points of view.' Littlechief was inspired to join the program at the age of 16 he went to a museum in Regina and saw all of the prop animals. At the time he was still figuring out what he wanted to do after graduating. 'I didn't have any idea,' he said. 'I was a bit stumped, but then when I came across that, I (thought) I want to be around this all the time. I grew up around this stuff, but what can I do as a career to be around this?' He turned to his school guidance counsellor for advice and they pointed him to resource and environmental law. 'There was a bit of a hiccup getting to finishing school and then once I did finish school, I was like, OK, I'm going to apply for it now and then I eventually got in,' Littlechief said. 'It was one of the main things that kept me going for finishing school.' Another important thing that led him to the program was his upbringing. His grandfather liked the outdoors and did a lot of hunting and trapping. 'Throughout my early life, he exposed it to a lot of stuff like that,' Littlechief said. 'It didn't come to a surprise when it came down to like already having that mentality of stewardship.' As a volunteer in the Wîcihitowin Transition Program, Littlechief inspires adult learners by sharing his educational journey. He said the Transition Program helps student adapt to post-secondary life. Littlechief said the program brought in speakers to help the students adapt before other students were on campus. 'That's what I thought was really important and probably helped a lot of students that year and the year prior,' he explained. 'It builds a little bit of (a) relationship to have people eager to come in.' Littlechief is a member of White Bear First Nations in southeastern Saskatchewan but studies in Prince Albert because the campus is the only one to offer the program. He said no matter where the program was located he knew he would commit two years of his life to it. 'Once you commit to something and push yourself, it's so rewarding,' Littlechief said. Littlechief said he wished he could pass the lesson on to other people. 'Just being able to set your mind to something and want to complete it, all in, it's one of the best feelings and I wish everybody could experience it,' he said. 'You never know what can happen. Just being yourself.' Littlechief said he did not expect to be selected for an award and just thought he would be completing his program. 'I was just being myself though,' he explained. 'I got to talk with people and get to know people. I was inspired just from being at school and then that's where I was like, 'oh, how can I bring this home to my community.'' Littlechief also engages with his band to promote sustainable, land-based practices, reflecting his dedication to positive change and community advocacy. He is also an Indigenous role model for 2026. 'That's where I was just like, 'I want to be able to fulfil my goal of being a Conservation Officer,'' Littlechief said. He explained that he wants to start something of his own to make the program easier for future students who want to be Conservation Officers. 'I was thinking about what the possibilities can be and each time I go into the classroom, it gets closer and closer and closer,' he said. 'I think two years ago I felt like it was just work and then now it's that I want to create opportunity. I think it's very important for future students to just push through because it's super rewarding and you never know what's in store for you.' Dr. Has Malik, Provost and Vice President, Academic gave the speech before Littlechief received the award from Larry Rosia the President and CEO of Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Prince Albert Carlton MLA Kevin Kasun brought greetings from the province, Sask Polytechnic Board Chair Mitch Holash brought greetings from the board and brought greetings from the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Students' Association. Rosia also gave the President's Address. Micah Daniels from Sturgeon Lake played an honour song and Elder Violet Naytowhow said the prayer to open the ceremony before Kim Villeneauve sang 'O Canada'. During the morning and afternoon session philanthropist and Entrepeneur Jim Pattison received the 2025 Honorary Degree in Applied Studies, which will be awarded by Rosia on June 24 in Vancouver. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
