New Giant Rat, Pygmy Possum Discovered

New species found in Indonesia
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A pygmy possum of the genus Cercartetus was found this June in Indonesia's pristine Foja Mountains and could be a species new to science.

Experts with Conservation International described the mini-mammal as one of the world's smallest marsupials.

A previous expedition to the Fojas in 2005 had revealed for the first time that a rare forest marsupial, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo, made its home in the same remote region on the island of New Guinea. The kangaroo was among dozens of species of plants and animals discovered during that trip.

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—Photograph by Bruce M. Beehler/Conservation International
 

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