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March 5, 2026

Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea

The chances of finding one mammal species thought to be lost was ‘almost zero’ and finding two is ‘unprecedented’, biologist Tim Flannery says

Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea

TL;DR

  • Two marsupial species, previously thought extinct for 6,000 years, have been discovered alive in West Papua.
  • The pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider are examples of 'Lazarus taxa'.
  • The ring-tailed glider is part of a newly described genus of marsupials, the first in New Guinea since 1937.
  • The discoveries were made in the lowland mountain forests of the Vogelkop peninsula.
  • Research involved local researchers, fossil fragments, and a misidentified museum specimen.
  • Tim Flannery, a leading scientist, described the findings as 'unprecedented' and a 'lifetime achievement'.
  • The discoveries underscore the importance of conserving the Vogelkop's environment.
  • The region may have once been part of the Australian continent and could shelter more ancient species.

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