Best New Guinea
Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo is a critically endangered marsupial native to the island of New Guinea. It is notable as one of only two surviving species of tree-kangaroos and possesses distinctive golden stripes along its back. Primarily arboreal, this animal spends most of its life in trees and is fo...
The common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) is an arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae, native to New Guinea, the Cape York Peninsula of Australia, and several nearby islands. Adult males are typically marked with irregular blotches of grey, white, and reddish-brown, while females an...
Matschie’s tree-kangaroo is a small arboreal marsupial native to the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. It's notable as one of only two surviving species of tree-kangaroos and is critically endangered. The species plays a vital role in its ecosystem. Conservation efforts focus on protecting this un...
The golden-mantled tree-kangaroo is an arboreal marsupial native to the mountainous regions of New Guinea. This extant species, *Osphranter goldmani*, is notable for its distinctive golden fur and unique adaptation to a primarily arboreal lifestyle. It’s particularly relevant to conservation efforts...
The Central Range sub-alpine grasslands occupy a distinct savanna ecoregion within the New Guinea Highlands of Papua New Guinea. This area features elevated grasslands characterized by specialized plant life adapted to montane conditions and high altitudes. It’s notable for its isolated tropical alp...
The Vogelkop tree-kangaroo is a heavy-bodied marsupial native to the Vogelkop Peninsula in Indonesia and parts of New Guinea. As a member of the tree-kangaroo family, it has adapted to an arboreal lifestyle, possessing strong forelimbs and broad feet for navigating forest canopies. They primarily fe...
The New Guinea quoll (Dasyurus albopunctatus) is a small, nocturnal carnivorous marsupial native to the island of New Guinea. Recognizable by its brownish coat and distinctive white spots, it represents the largest surviving native marsupial predator in the region. The species primarily inhabits tro...
The dingiso is a critically endangered marsupial native to the tree-covered mountains of Papua, Indonesia. It’s notable as one of the few extant tree-kangaroo species and holds significant cultural importance for the Moni people who have long observed this arboreal animal. Primarily found in the Sud...
The mountain cuscus (Phalanger carmelitae) is a nocturnal, arboreal marsupial native to the montane forests of New Guinea. First described in 1898, this species possesses a prehensile tail that assists in navigating the forest canopy, where it forages for leaves, fruits, and other plant material. Li...
The striped possum is an arboreal marsupial native to New Guinea and Cape York. This extant species, a type of petaurid possum, is notable for its distinctive black and white stripes. It’s primarily found in rainforest habitats and represents a unique lineage within the possum family. Researchers an...
The Tenkile is an extant marsupial native to the Torricelli Mountains of Papua New Guinea. It’s a tree-kangaroo species notable for its striking black and white fur pattern and arboreal lifestyle. Primarily found in high-altitude rainforests, the Tenkile is considered a flagship species for conserva...
The painted ringtail possum (Pseudochirulus forbesi) is an arboreal marsupial native to the montane and lowland forests of New Guinea. It is characterized by its strongly patterned fur and a prehensile tail used for balance and grasping branches in the forest canopy. As a nocturnal species, it forag...
The southern common cuscus (Phalanger mimicus) is a nocturnal marsupial native to southern New Guinea and Australia's Cape York Peninsula. As an arboreal species, it spends most of its life in trees, possessing a prehensile tail that functions as a fifth limb for gripping branches. Like other marsup...
The feather-tailed possum, Distoechurus pennatus, is a small arboreal marsupial native to New Guinea. It is the only living species placed in the genus Distoechurus and belongs to the family Acrobatidae, alongside Australia's feathertail glider. Its common name refers to the conspicuous rows of long...
The ursine tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus ursinus, is an arboreal marsupial endemic to the Bird's Head Peninsula of western New Guinea, also called the Vogelkop Peninsula. It is consequently known as the Vogelkop tree-kangaroo and was scientifically described by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1836. The spec...
The coppery ringtail possum (Pseudochirops cupreus) is an arboreal marsupial native to the montane and sub-alpine forests of New Guinea. As a nocturnal, leaf-eating mammal, it primarily inhabits the upper canopy of tropical rainforests. It is characterized by its dense, reddish-brown fur and a prehe...
The northern common cuscus (Phalanger orientalis) is an arboreal marsupial native to northern New Guinea, surrounding islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago. Adapted to forest living, it possesses a prehensile tail that aids in climbing and feeds primarily on leaves, fruits, and occasionally small an...
The eastern long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) is a marsupial native to eastern Australia, ranging from Queensland to Victoria. This nocturnal animal has grayish-brown fur, a pointed snout, and a relatively short tail. As a digger, it creates distinctive conical holes in the forest floor while...
The Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo is a rare, arboreal marsupial native to the montane forests of the Wondiwoi Mountains in West Papua, Indonesia. It was first scientifically described in 1933 by the British naturalist Lord Rothschild. For decades, the species was known only from a single museum specimen an...
The New Guinea savanna and grasslands constitute a distinct terrestrial ecoregion located primarily in the southern lowlands of the island. Often referred to as the Trans-Fly region, this area represents the largest expanse of non-forested tropical habitat on an island otherwise dominated by dense r...
The New Guinean quoll (Dasyurus albopunctatus) is a carnivorous marsupial found in New Guinea, belonging to the family Dasyuridae. It is one of only two quoll species found outside Australia, the other being the bronze quoll. The species inhabits forested areas at elevations ranging from sea level t...
The Jungle Hawk-Owl (Uroglaux dimorpha) is a bird of prey native to New Guinea and surrounding islands. Unlike many owl species, it is partially diurnal, active during daylight hours. The owl inhabits lowland tropical rainforests where it hunts small mammals, birds, and insects. It features brown an...
Thylogale browni, commonly known as Brown's pademelon, is a small marsupial species in the family Macropodidae first described by naturalist John Edward Gray in 1837. The species is native to New Guinea and certain nearby islands including New Britain and New Ireland, where it inhabits tropical and...
The agile wallaby (Macropus agilis) is a medium-sized macropod found across northern Australia and in parts of southern New Guinea. It inhabits a range of environments including coastal scrub, woodland, and grassland, often near water sources. The species is characterized by sandy to brownish fur an...
The cinereus ringtail possum (Pseudochirulus cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial classified within the family Pseudocheiridae. It is characterized by its ash-grey fur, prehensile tail adapted for gripping branches, and specialized dentition suited for folivory. This nocturnal mammal is strictly endem...
Doria's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus dorianus) is a large arboreal marsupial native to the montane forests of New Guinea, described by Edward Pierson Ramsay in 1883 and named for Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria. It is one of the largest tree-kangaroo species, with adults weighing up to 14–15 kilogram...
The Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests make up a vast wetland ecoregion spanning the southern coastal lowlands of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Classified within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, the region is defined by its extensive peat deposits and seasonal...
Stein's cuscus (Phalanger vestitus) is an arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae, native to the island of New Guinea. It occurs in hill and lower montane forests across parts of Indonesia (Papua and West Papua) and Papua New Guinea, typically at mid-elevation ranges. The species is nocturnal...
The Ochre-bellied Hawk-Owl (Ninox ochracea) is a hawk-owl endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, distinguished from related species by its warm ochre-orange underparts.
The giant bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti) is a species of marsupial in the family Peroryctidae, native to Papua New Guinea. It was described by Australian zoologist Edward Pierson Ramsay in 1879 and is considered the largest bandicoot species. The species inhabits tropical forests and is known fro...
