Animal Info - Papua New Guinea

Contents

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Papua New Guinea and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. 

• Critically Endangered:
  • Bougainville Monkey-faced Flying Fox (Pteralopex anceps).
  • Bulmer's Fruit Bat (Aproteles bulmerae). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Eastern Shrew Mouse (Pseudohydromys murinus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Fly River Water Rat (Leptomys signatus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Long-footed Water Rat (Leptomys elegans). 
  • Lowland Brush Mouse (Pogonomelomys bruijni).
  • New Guinea Big-eared Bat (Pharotis imogene). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
• Endangered:
  • Alpine Wallaby (Thylogale calabyi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Black Dorcopsis (Dorcopsis atrata). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Black-spotted Cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger).
  • Eastern Small-toothed Rat (Macruromys major). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Fergusson Island Striped Possum (Dactylopsila tatei). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Huon Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bruijni).
  • Poncelet's Giant Rat (Solomys ponceleti).
  • Specht's Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys spechti). 
  • Telefomin Cuscus (Phalanger matanim). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Tenkile (Dendrolagus scottae). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Van Deusen's Rat (Stenomys vandeuseni). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
• Vulnerable:
  • Big-eared Mastiff Bat (Otomops papuensis). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Bismarck's Trumpet-eared Bat (Kerivoula myrella).
  • Bronze Quoll (Dasyurus spartacus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Carpentarian Dunnart (Sminthopsis butleri). 
  • Champion's Tree Mouse (Pogonomys championi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • D'Albertis Ringtail (Pseudochirops albertisii).
  • Demonic Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene masalai). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Doria's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus dorianus).
  • Dugong (Dugong dugon).
  • Dusky Pademelon (Thylogale brunii).
  • Flower-faced Bat (Anthops ornatus).
  • Fly River Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros muscinus). 
  • Fly River Trumpet-eared Bat (Kerivoula muscina). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Gilliard's Flying Fox (Pteropus gilliardi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Great-tailed Troik (Dactylopsila megalura).
  • Greater Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus timoriensis).
  • Isabel Naked-tailed Rat (Solomys sapientis). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Large-eared Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura dianae).
  • Lesser Flying Fox (Pteropus mahaganus).
  • Lesser Tube-nosed Bat (Nyctimene draconilla).
  • Macleay's Dorcopsis (Dorcopsulus macleayi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Mantled Mastiff Bat (Otomops secundus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Moss-forest Blossom Bat (Syconycteris hobbit). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Mottled-tailed Shrew Mouse (Neohydromys fuscus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • New Britain Water Rat (Hydromys neobrittanicus). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • New Guinea Pademelon (Thylogale browni).
  • New Guinea Quoll (Dasyurus albopunctatus).
  • New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura furax). 
  • Northern Glider (Petaurus abidi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Papuan Planigale (Planigale novaeguineae). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus mixtus).
  • Plush-coated Ringtail (Pseudochirops corinnae).
  • Red-bellied Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys fellowsi). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Shaw-Mayer's Mouse (Mayermys ellermani). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Short-haired Water Rat (Paraleptomys wilhelmina).
  • Small-toothed Long-eared Bat (Nyctophilus microdon). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • St. Aignan's Trumpet-eared Bat (Kerivoula agnella). (Endemic to Papua New Guinea.)
  • Stein's Cuscus (Phalanger vestitus).
  • Telefomin Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros corynophyllus).
  • Western Shrew Mouse (Pseudohydromys occidentalis).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 214 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 57 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 57 (27 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 59 (28 % of total species) (IUCN 2000) 

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Papua New Guinea contains portions of the New Guinea Montane Forests, New Guinea Lowland Forests, New Guinea Outer Islands/ Solomons Moist Forests, New Guinea Outer Islands/ Solomons Moist Forests, New Guinea Rivers & Streams, Lakes Kutubu & Sentani, New Guinea Mangroves, and Northern New Guinea & Coral Sea Marine Ecosystem Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Papua New Guinea is a Megadiversity Country (Cons. Intl. 1999b)

Population

Population in 1995: 4,107,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 8.9 people/sq km (23.0 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 4,599,785 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.5 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 461,691 sq km (178,260 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

• Other Coastal Aquatic: 17 %
• Major Wetland: 12 %
• Desert and Semi-desert: 1 %
• Grass and Shrub: 2 %
• Interrupted Woods: 11 %
• Major Forests: 57 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 64 %, Medium: 24 %, High: 13 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 290 sq km (112 sq mi)
Percent of land protected: 0.02 % totally protected, 0.05 % partially protected, 0.07 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $932 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $2,400 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 10 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 38 % (1990), 24 % (1970); Male: 65 % (1990), 39 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999b, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Papua New Guinea): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles 

Links for Papua New Guinea: Tenkile Conservation Alliance, The Nature Conservancy - Papua New Guinea, United Nations Development Program: Papua New Guinea, World Wide Web Virtual Library - Papua New Guinea, World Wildlife Fund - Papua New Guinea

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Last modified: March 26, 2006;

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