Lost World

Meet the golden-mantled tree kangaroo, just one of dozens of new or rare species discovered in late 2005 by a team of 12 scientists exploring the Foja Mountains of Indonesian New Guinea.

There are not supposed to be any blank spots left on the map or areas innocent of human contact, but this particular montane region appears aptly described as a "lost world." The Kwerba people, who inhabit the base of the mountains, forage and hunt along the edge of the forest. They say neither they nor their ancestors penetrated deeper.

One Westerner had been to the Foja range previously. Scientist and author Jared Diamond was there in the 1970s, albeit in a different area from the one where the scientific team found and documented this latest bounty of exotic species. Other discoveries included a frog less than 14 millimeters long, a "lost" bird of paradise, and a newly discovered bird species, the smoky honeyeater.