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A scientific paper reports that a pygmy long-fingered possum and a ring-tailed glider are living in remote forests of West Papua, despite being considered absent for thousands of years. Researchers identified them by combining fossil evidence, historical records and photographs with fieldwork and knowledge shared by local communities. The forests face logging pressure, while the scope of the animals’ populations and the protections they will receive remain unclear.
Researchers have reported that two marsupials thought to have disappeared thousands of years ago are living in remote rainforests of West Papua: the pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider. The findings, published in the journal Records of the Australian Museum on March 6, 2026, describe a rediscovery assembled through fossil research, historical records, field visits and information from local communities.
The pygmy long-fingered possum is a striped marsupial weighing about 200 grams. Researchers describe a distinctive feature on each hand: its fourth finger is about twice as long as the other digits. The elongated fingers help it extract wood-boring insect larvae, which are its main food source, according to the report.
The second animal, the ring-tailed glider, lives in hollows in tall trees and has a tail that can grasp branches. The research team pieced together evidence from decades-old fossils, rare photographs and older specimens before visiting remote locations in New Guinea. The report says the possum was understood to have vanished from Australia during the Ice Age, while both species had been considered lost for thousands of years.
Researchers worked with local elders from the Tambrauw and Maybrat clans. Rika Korain, a Maybrat co-author, said local knowledge was needed to identify the animals. The report also says gliders are considered sacred by some community members, who do not hunt them or speak their name.
A Rediscovery With Conservation Stakes
The reported presence of both animals matters for biodiversity research and for decisions about the forests where they live. Finding living examples of species thought to have disappeared can prompt reassessment of their distribution and conservation needs. In this case, researchers say the animals depend on remote forest habitat, including hollows in tall trees used by the glider.
That habitat faces pressure: co-author Tim Flannery told the BBC that logging is increasingly threatening the glider’s habitat. The researchers and wildlife groups are seeking to secure native title for forests, Flannery said, so logging cannot proceed without local consent. The report does not say that legal protection has been secured, but it links the discovery to ongoing efforts to protect forest and recognize community rights.
The account also underscores the role of local knowledge in documenting wildlife. Researchers credited elders and co-author Korain with helping identify the animals; the work was not based on scientific records alone. That cooperation is relevant to any future monitoring or conservation work in the region.
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How Researchers Reconstructed the Evidence
The report describes the animals as “Lazarus taxa”, a term for species believed to have disappeared and later found alive. It says the possum was thought to have been extinct for about 6,000 years, and characterizes both species as having been considered absent for thousands of years. This describes the prior scientific understanding reported by the researchers, not proof that every population had been surveyed or that the animals were absent everywhere.
The identification process combined several kinds of evidence. Scientists examined old fossils and specimens alongside photographs, then travelled to remote New Guinea locations and consulted local people. The findings were published in the Records of the Australian Museum, with researchers from the University of Papua New Guinea among the contributors, according to the BBC report.
Flannery, a co-author, said that discovering one such species would be exceptional, and finding two was remarkable. The statement reflects his assessment of the discovery; the journal paper is the source for the study’s published findings.
“The discovery of one lazarus taxon… is an exceptional discovery. But the discovery of two species, thought to have been extinct for thousands of years, is remarkable.”
— Tim Flannery, study co-author, as quoted by the BBC
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Population Size and Protection Still Unclear
The report does not provide population estimates, survey results or the precise locations where the animals were observed. It also does not detail how many living individuals were documented, how broadly the species range across West Papua, or what methods were used to assess their conservation status. Those details matter when determining how vulnerable the populations may be.
The description that the animals were thought to have vanished for around 6,000 years is based on the scientific understanding outlined in the report. It does not establish exactly when either species disappeared from particular areas, or whether there were unrecorded sightings between the fossils and the recent research. The report does not include the full paper’s methods or findings, so these details cannot be independently assessed here.
It is also unclear whether the proposed native-title protections have been granted, which forests they would cover, or how logging decisions would be handled. The researchers’ conservation concern is clear, but the status of any formal agreement or new protection is not established in the report.
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Forest Rights and Follow-Up Surveys
The next steps described in the report concern efforts by scientists and wildlife groups to secure native title for forest areas, with the aim of requiring local consent before logging. No timetable or final decision is provided. The process and the extent of any resulting protections remain to be confirmed.
Further field research would be needed to establish where the possums and gliders live, how many remain and what threats affect each population. Any surveys or conservation planning will need to account for the role of local communities, whose knowledge helped researchers identify the species and who hold cultural relationships with the forest and its wildlife. The report does not announce a specific next survey or research milestone.
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Key Questions
Which two animals were reported in West Papua?
Researchers reported living pygmy long-fingered possums and ring-tailed gliders in remote New Guinea rainforests in West Papua.
Why were the animals considered lost?
The report says they were thought to have disappeared thousands of years ago, with the pygmy long-fingered possum described as having been considered extinct for about 6,000 years. That reflects the scientific understanding described by the researchers, not a complete record of every possible sighting.
How did researchers identify them?
The team combined evidence from fossils, old specimens and photographs with field visits and knowledge shared by local elders, according to the report.
Are the animals protected from logging?
The report says logging threatens the glider’s habitat and that researchers and wildlife groups are pursuing native title protections. It does not confirm that those protections have been granted.
Source: hn
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