The World, the Universe and Us Two 'Extinct' Mammals Species Have Been Discovered in New Guinea
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Mar 5, 2026 
Tim Flannery, Australian palaeontologist and mammalogist who led the team confirming two marsupials alive in New Guinea. He recounts fossil clues and local sightings that proved survival. Hear about a newly identified glider with monogamous habits and tree gardening, and a pygmy long-fingered possum whose elongated digit extracts grubs. Conservation threats and Indigenous cultural ties are also discussed.
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From Tiny Fossils To Living Specimens
- Tim Flannery traced the discovery from two tiny bone fragments found in 1999 to photographs and a hunted specimen decades later confirming both species were alive.
- The process involved museum sleuthing, local photos, a student visit, and a hunter's picture that sealed the identification.
Vogelkop Is A Relict Australian Refuge
- The Vogelkop or bird's head peninsula is geologically distinct and part of the Australian fragment, explaining relic Australian species surviving there.
- Early exploration then focus elsewhere left Vogelkop under-sampled, so surprising species persisted unnoticed.
A Prehensile Tailed Glider Dependent On Old Trees
- The new glider is about 300 grams, half the size of Australia's greater glider, with a gliding membrane between elbow and hind foot.
- Unlike the greater glider its tail is strongly prehensile and it depends on hollows in the oldest trees.