WILDLIFE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Matschie’s or Huon tree kangaroo

Dendrolagus matschiei

IUCN status: Endangered

The Matschie’s tree kangaroo lives only in the mountain forests of the Huon Peninsula. The beautiful fur is used for traditional decoration and is hunted for food by the local communities.

A long-beaked echidna with dark spiky fur and a long snout walks on a forest floor covered with leaves and soil.

Long-beaked echidna

Zaglossus bartoni

IUCN status: Critically Endangered

The long-beaked echidna is very rare and elusive, preferring to live in areas with little or no human presence. It uses its unique beak to search for earthworms and other invertebrates in the soil.

A fluffy, dark brown mountain Cuscus, with round eyes and a bushy tail perches on a tree branch, surrounded by green leaves stands out against the lush, forested background.

Mountain cuscus

Phalanger sericeus

IUCN status: Least Concern

Common throughout the Huon Peninsula and New Guinea’s central mountain ranges, the mountain cuscus is nocturnal.

A Long Fingered Triok, clings upside down to a wire at night, gripping tightly with its small hands and feet. Its large, dark eyes and striped face are clearly visible against its furry body.

Long-fingered triok

Dactilopsila palpator

IUCN status: Least Concern

The long-fingered triok is a nocturnal possum found in mountain forests above 1,000 meters (4,000 feet) throughout New Guinea’s central ranges and the Huon Peninsula. It uses its long finger to extract insects and small animals from tree bark and decaying wood.

A close-up of a tube nosed bat, hanging upside down with wings wrapped around its body. The bat has large brown eyes, pointed ears, and brown fur. Its dark wings have yellowish spots against a black background.

Tube-nosed fruit bat

Nyctimeninae sp.

IUCN status: Least Concern

Tube-nosed fruit bats roost in living foliage and are found primarily in wet tropical lowlands, as well as in mid-elevation montane forests.

A bright green frog, with large orange eyes sits on a dark green leaf against a black background. Its smooth skin and folded legs are clearly visible.

Northern New Guinea tree frog

Litoria graminea

IUCN status: Data Deficient

The northern New Guinea tree frog is an arboreal species, living entirely in the high canopy of lowland and foothill rainforest.

A close-up of a cassowary, with vibrant blue and red skin on its head and neck, a large casque, yellow eye, and glossy black feathers set against a blurred green background.

Dwarf cassowary

Casuarius bennetti

IUCN status: Near Threatened

The dwarf cassowary is the largest native vertebrate in the forests of YUS. It communicates with other cassowaries using a low booming sound.

A black and green bird with a long tail perches on a branch surrounded by lush foliage and clusters of brown buds in a tropical forest setting.

Huon astrapia

Astrapia rothschildi

IUCN status: Least Concern

Found only on the Huon Peninsula, the Huon astrapia is a bird of paradise with a long black tail and a comparatively small body and head.

Two birds of paradise, display vibrant yellow, brown, and white plumage as they perch on winding tree branches in a lush green forest—one upright and the other hanging playfully upside down.

Emperor bird of paradise

Paradisaea guilielmi

IUCN status: Near Threatened

Only found on the Huon Peninsula, male emperor birds of paradise display communally in the upper branches of a canopy tree. In the mating display, the males hang upside-down on the branch and spread their white flank plumes.

A Wahnes Bird of Paradise with black plumage fans out its feathers and calls in a forest setting, surrounded by thin tree trunks and a brown, leafy ground.

Wahnes’s parotia

Parotia wahnesi

IUCN status: Vulnerable

The Wahnes’s parotia is a six-wired bird of paradise found at a narrow elevation range in the montane forest interior of northeastern PNG. Males construct a unique dance-ground on the forest floor for their displays.

Close-up of a parrot with green and yellow feathers, a brownish head, red eye, and curved pale beak. The black background highlights the vibrant colors and intricate details.

Brehm’s tiger-parrot

Psittacella brehmii

IUCN status: Least Concern

The Brehm’s tiger-parrot is commonly found in cloud forests throughout the Huon Peninsula and New Guinea’s central ranges.

A close-up of a bird, with vibrant yellow-orange neck feathers, a bright blue ring around its eye, black head, and black-and-white wings set against a black background.

Frilled monarch

Arses telescopthalmus

IUCN status: Least Concern

The frilled monarch is found throughout the lowland and hill forest interior of the island of New Guinea.

A bright red bird with a yellow beak and black markings near its eyes, perched against a solid black background.

King bird of paradise

Cicinnurus regius

IUCN status: Least Concern

Found throughout the coastal and foothill forests of New Guinea, the king bird of paradise is the smallest of the mainland birds of paradise. Males sing and display in the tangled vines of the subcanopy.

Close-up of a harpy eagle’s face showing its sharp beak, intense yellow eye, and detailed gray and white feathers—a striking example of the featured wildlife of Papua New Guinea.

New Guinea harpy-eagle

Harpyopsis novaeguineae

IUCN status: Vulnerable

Often heard but rarely seen, the New Guinea harpy-eagle hunts large mammals including tree kangaroos, wallabies, and possums. It is distributed throughout the island of New Guinea, although sparsely populated in most regions.

Illustration of a small brown bird with reddish-orange feathers on its head and back, perched on a light-colored branch, shown in profile facing right.

Macgregor’s bowerbird

Amblyornis macgregoriae

IUCN status: Least Concern

The Macgregor’s bowerbird builds its distinctive stick bower in montane forest on slopes just below the crest of a ridge. The bower is built and decorated by the male in order to attract females for mating. The female alone builds the nest and raises the offspring.

Detailed drawing of a parrot, with dark gray, scaly feathers on its head and back and bright red feathers on its chest and wings, set against a plain white background.

New Guinea vulturine parrot

Psittrichas fulgidus

IUCN status: Vulnerable

The New Guinea vulturine parrot is one of several large parrot species found in YUS. It lives primarily in upland forests and feeds on figs in the forest canopy.

Close-up of a black and yellow weevil insect, perched on the edge of a leaf with a blurred yellow and orange background.

Weevil

Eupholus sp.

IUCN status: Unknown

Often found in the coastal lowlands of YUS, the various species of jewel weevil exhibit different color patterns.

Illustration of a butterfly with vibrant blue wings fading into black at the tips, a slender green body, and long antennae, shown on a white background.

Blue emperor butterfly

Papilio Ulysses

IUCN status:  Unknown

Also known as the Ulysses swallowtail butterfly, the blue emperor butterfly can be spotted in the gardens and villages of YUS. The species ranges throughout New Guinea and eastern Australia.

Illustration of a Pademelon standing upright on its hind legs, with brown fur, a pale belly, small front paws, large ears, and a long tail against a plain white background.

New Guinea Pademelon

Thylogale browni

IUCN status: Vulnerable

A medium-sized wallaby that lives in the lowland and mountain forest, but is also found at the forest-edge and in disturbed habitats.

A detailed illustration of a small, furry marsupial with large dark eyes, rounded ears, short front legs, longer hind legs, and a long, tapering tail, shown against a white background.

Forest Wallaby

Dorcopsulus vanheurni

IUCN status: Near Threatened

Very shy and difficult to observe, the forest wallaby lives in the mountains above 800 meters. It prefers to feed in grassland openings in the high mountains.

WILDLIFE LINKS

Wildlife of the YUS Conservation Area, Pocket Identification Guide

Birds of Paradise: Revealing the World’s Most Extraordinary Birds, by Tim Laman & Edwin Scholes

Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition, by Thane K. Pratt & Bruce M. Beehler

Mammals of New Guinea, by Tim F. Flannery