Fauna of New Guinea facts for kids
New Guinea is a huge tropical island, known for its incredible variety of animals. Even though it's less than 0.5% of the world's land, it's home to a large part of Earth's living creatures. Imagine, about 8% of all known animals with backbones live here or in its nearby waters! This includes about 4% of the world's lizards and mammals, and around 10% of all fish species.
Scientists are still learning about the many tiny creatures like insects in New Guinea. But we do know that about 735 types of butterflies flutter around the island. That's about 4.2% of all butterfly species worldwide!
Despite this amazing variety, New Guinea doesn't have many very large predators, especially compared to how it was long ago. Today, only a few animals are at the very top of the food chain on land. These include the crocodile monitor and the New Guinea singing dog. Interestingly, the cassowary, a large bird, mostly eats fruit but can also hunt other animals sometimes. In the air, the New Guinea harpy eagle is the main hunter. In the rivers, you'll find the huge saltwater crocodile and the smaller New Guinea crocodile.
Contents
New Guinea's Animal Story
How New Guinea's Animals Came to Be
Papua New Guinea is a big island located north of Australia. Long, long ago, about 140 million years ago, the Earth's landmasses looked very different. New Guinea was once part of a giant continent called Gondwana. About 50 million years ago, the part of Gondwana that included New Guinea and Australia broke away from Antarctica. As it slowly moved north, New Guinea entered the warm tropics.
Over millions of years, New Guinea and Australia were connected by land bridges many times. This happened during ice ages when sea levels were lower. The last connection ended about 10,000 years ago. During these times, many animals and plants moved between Australia and New Guinea. When the land bridges disappeared, these groups of animals became separated. They then changed over time to become unique species found only in New Guinea.
However, not all animals came from Australia. As New Guinea drifted north, it also got close to Asia. Even though there was never a direct land bridge to Asia, many small islands in Indonesia allowed some Asian animals to cross over. This created a special mix of Australian and Asian animals in New Guinea, which you won't find anywhere else. Many of New Guinea's animals are endemic, meaning they live only there.
Studying New Guinea's Wildlife
A famous scientist named Ernst Mayr visited New Guinea in 1928. He collected thousands of bird specimens for museums. During his time there, he discovered many new bird species. He also learned that some of New Guinea's rarest birds-of-paradise were actually hybrid species, meaning they were a mix of two different types of birds. His experiences in New Guinea helped him understand a lot about how animals change and evolve.
Amazing Mammals of New Guinea
New Guinea is home to all three main types of mammals: monotremes, placentals, and marsupials. It has more monotreme species than any other place on Earth, except for the platypus. The island's marsupials are also very diverse, including many different kinds of pouched animals.
The only native placental mammals in New Guinea are rodents and bats. There are about the same number of these species as there are marsupials and monotremes.
Monotremes and Marsupials: Unique Pouched Animals
New Guinea's monotremes are all echidnas. These spiny mammals lay eggs, unlike most other mammals. There are four species of echidnas found here, including the short-beaked echidna and three types of long-beaked echidna.
New Guinea doesn't have very large meat-eating marsupials. Most of them are small and eat insects. The largest is the bronze quoll, a rare animal first found in 1979. It's about 36 centimeters (14 inches) long.
The kangaroos of New Guinea are quite special. While some, like the agile wallaby, live in open grasslands similar to Australian kangaroos, many are tree-kangaroos. As their name suggests, they live in trees! They have long, thick tails for balance and strong arms to grip branches. Most tree-kangaroos are found only in New Guinea.
Cuscus are another interesting group of marsupials. They are related to the possums of Australia. Cuscus have evolved in New Guinea and live all over the island. Many are dark brown or black, but some, like the common spotted cuscus, have bright black, orange, and yellow patterns.
Many small, plant-eating possum species also live in New Guinea. One example is Krefft's glider, which can glide through the air using large flaps of skin between its legs.
Placental Mammals: Rodents and Bats
Most of New Guinea's rodents belong to the family Muridae, which includes rats and mice. Scientists believe they arrived in New Guinea in two main waves. Over time, these rodents have changed a lot, leading to unique types like tiny, shrew-like mice, water rats, tree mice, and even giant rats. The largest rat in New Guinea is the grey black-eared giant rat, which can grow up to 41 centimeters (16 inches) long!
New Guinea's bats are also very diverse, with many different families and types. They have flown to New Guinea from various places, including Australia and Asia. Many of the large fruit bats, called megabats, are unique to New Guinea. While most fruit bats eat fruit and nectar, some in New Guinea have learned to catch insects in the air, a job usually done by smaller bats.
Humans arrived in New Guinea at least 40,000 years ago. Since then, many other mammals have been brought to the island, sometimes by accident. The wild boar was introduced at least 6,000 years ago and is now common. It digs up the forest floor looking for food, which can affect native plants and animals.
The domestic dog arrived about 2,000 years ago. New Guinea also has its own wild dog, the New Guinea singing dog. These dogs are related to the Australian dingo and arrived about 6,000 years ago. They are famous for their unique howls that sound like singing. They live in remote mountains and are the largest full-time land predators on the island.
Several types of rats and mice have also been introduced by humans, but most of them only live in human settlements. The house mouse is the most widespread of these.
Three types of deer have been brought to New Guinea. The rusa deer is the most common and is often hunted for food. Cats, introduced by humans, are common near towns but rare in forests. Where they do live in the wild, they can cause native animal populations to decrease.
Birds: The Dominant Lifeforms
Just like in New Zealand, birds are incredibly important in New Guinea's ecosystems. The island has a rich variety of bird life, with about 730 species! These include birds that live there all the time, seabirds, and birds that migrate from other places. New Guinea has about 320 bird species that are found nowhere else in the world.
The largest bird in New Guinea is the flightless cassowary. All three species of cassowary live here. Two of them, the southern cassowary and the northern cassowary, can grow up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall! The southern cassowary also lives in northern Australia. These powerful birds rule the jungles and coasts. Adult cassowaries are very protective, especially when they have chicks. They can be dangerous if approached too closely, using their strong legs and a dagger-like claw on their inner toe.
New Guinea's main bird predator is the New Guinea harpy eagle. It's the only eagle known to hunt its prey on the ground. As mentioned, the cassowary, despite mostly eating fruit, is also a top predator due to its size and strength.
Pigeons and parrots are very common in New Guinea. The island has many fruit and nectar-producing plants, which these birds love. There are 46 species of parrots here, which is about one-seventh of all parrot species globally. New Guinea also has 45 species of pigeons, including the three crowned-pigeons, which are the largest pigeons in the world.
The small, colorful passerine birds show the most variety. The most famous are the Paradisaeidae, or birds-of-paradise. Many male birds-of-paradise have amazing, bright, iridescent feathers and special plumes. They perform elaborate dances and calls to attract females. Each species has its own unique mating ritual!
Closely related to the birds-of-paradise are the bowerbirds. These birds are not as colorful, but the males are incredible builders. They construct elaborate "bowers" out of sticks and decorate them with colorful items to attract females. Bowerbirds are also amazing mimics. They can copy almost any sound they hear, from other birds and animals to human voices and even car engines!
Another unique bird in New Guinea is the hooded pitohui. Scientists discovered in 1989 that this bird is poisonous! Its feathers and other body parts contain a toxin. This poison comes from the specific beetles and insects the birds eat, which also contain the toxin. It's a fascinating example of how an animal's diet can make it poisonous.
Sadly, many bird species face threats from logging and farming, which destroy their homes.
Amphibians: Frogs Galore!
New Guinea has a huge variety of amphibians, mostly frogs and toads. There are over 320 known species, and many more are still being discovered! Most of these frogs belong to four native families.
Tree frogs, from the family Hylidae, are very successful in New Guinea. They are the most diverse group of frogs on the island, with over 100 species. Many of these tree frogs lay their eggs in fast-flowing streams. Their tadpoles have special mouths that act like suction cups to stick to rocks and avoid being washed away.
Unfortunately, some non-native amphibians have been introduced. The cane toad was brought from Australia in 1937 to help control pests on sweet potato crops. However, it has become very common in open areas and can affect native wildlife.
Reptiles: Snakes, Lizards, and Crocodiles
New Guinea's reptiles include many snakes and lizards, as well as turtles and crocodiles. There are about 300 known species of snakes and lizards.
Most of the lizards are skinks, with fewer geckos and agamids. The largest lizard is the impressive crocodile monitor. There are about 100 known snake species, but fewer of these are unique to New Guinea compared to other animals.
New Guinea has both freshwater and marine turtles. Six species of marine turtles live around the island, but they are also found in other parts of the world. There are seven freshwater turtle species, and three of these are found only in New Guinea.
The saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile in New Guinea. It's a huge crocodile found in many rivers across the island. The other crocodile, the New Guinea crocodile, is smaller and lives only in New Guinea.
Fish: Underwater Wonders
Marine Fish: A Coral Paradise
New Guinea is part of the Coral Triangle, which is the richest marine area in the world! It has over 600 species of corals, making up about 76% of the world's total. This amazing coral reef is home to more than 2,200 species of reef fish, which is about 37% of all reef fish globally.
Freshwater Fish: Unique River Dwellers
As of 2007, about 375 species of fish were known to live in New Guinea's freshwater. Many of these, 149 species, are found only in New Guinea. There's a strong connection between the freshwater fish of New Guinea and northern Australia. The most common fish families here are rainbowfish, blue-eyes, gudgeons, and gobys.
New Guinea's mountains have separated many fish populations, leading to unique species in different areas. For example, only two species of freshwater fish are found on both the north and south sides of the main mountain range.
Large rivers like the Fly River and Sepik River are full of fish. The Fly River Basin alone has 105 fish species! Some lakes, like Lake Kutubu, are especially important because they have many fish species found nowhere else. Interestingly, some cave-adapted fish have also been discovered in New Guinea's river systems.
Sadly, introduced fish species and pollution can harm New Guinea's freshwater environments. Waste from mines, for example, has polluted several rivers, affecting the fish that live there.
Freshwater Crustaceans
New Guinea's freshwater is also home to crabs, shrimps, and crayfish. Many of these are still being studied by scientists. There are over 20 species of crayfish from the genus Cherax in New Guinea. The Paniai Lakes are especially rich in these unique crayfish.
Insects: Tiny but Mighty
New Guinea has an incredible number of insects. Scientists believe there could be anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 species! The island has been a very important place for insects to evolve and spread. It's also where insects from Asia and Australia have mixed, creating a truly unique insect population.
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Papua New Guinea is ranked 12th in the world for its number of unique large butterflies. Some of the most famous and beautiful butterflies found only here include Ornithoptera paradisea and Ornithoptera chimaera. There are many other fascinating and unique insect species, such as various beetles and moths, that make New Guinea a hotspot for insect diversity.
See also
- Ecoregions of New Guinea
- Lorentz National Park
- Wasur National Park
