Young Czech scientist first to document Oceania’s largest rodent
A Czech science student has made a rare discovery on the island of New Guinea. František Vejmělka from the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia became the first person in the world to capture the giant woolly rat on camera — one of the world’s largest and most elusive rodents. The animal lives high in the cold, misty mountain forests and was previously known only from old museum specimens. I asked him to tell me more about his discovery:
Can you first tell us about his elusive rodent species? How come no one has ever documented the animal before?
“This giant woolly rat is an endemic species of the island of New Guinea. Specifically, it lives only in the high mountains of New Guinea. Actually, all of the Mallomys species live in the highest mountains of this island — above 1,700 meters in elevation.
“This particular species, the subalpine woolly rat, Mallomys istapantap, lives on the interface of the upper mountain mossy forest and the subalpine grasslands. So, it lives very high, very far from any civilization. It’s not a vocal animal, it doesn’t make any sounds, and it’s not easily spotted. The only way you can find it is at night, with the help of hunters and their dogs — or by using a camera trap and a bit of luck.”
Is it true that until recently, scientists didn’t even know about its existence?
“No, that’s not true. It’s what we call a 'lost species,' which means that there has been no observation or record of its presence for more than a decade. Individuals of this species were sampled in the 1930s, but only as hunted specimens — shot, stuffed, and their skulls collected by local hunters. These were stored in major museums around the world, such as in New York, London, or Sydney.
“The species was officially described in 1989 based on these collections. The last recorded evidence of anyone actually seeing or being aware of the animal was in 1994.”
You spent six months in the mountains of New Guinea searching for this animal. How did you manage to capture and document it?
“To be precise, I didn’t go there specifically to find this animal. It was part of my six-month expedition. The main goal was to document the diversity of non-volant (non-flying) mammals on Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Discovering this woolly rat was an unexpected but very welcome bonus.”
What role did local communities play in your research?
“An immense one. All the land belongs to local people, so I was a guest. I worked closely with them — they showed me where the animals live, and I joined them on night hunts.
“Normally, in places like Africa or elsewhere in the tropics, we rely on various traps to study small mammals — snap traps, pitfall traps or live box traps. But this rat is so large, like many mammals in New Guinea, including marsupials, that standard traps simply don’t work. So I collaborated with local hunters and purchased the animals they caught.”
How exactly did you manage to document the animal in the end?
“I spent 14 days at each elevation level, with 10 nights dedicated to trapping — since the animals are nocturnal. At first, I went with a local hunter to explore the forest and locate suitable habitats, which were at about 3,500 meters above sea level.
“This area had dense, mossy, and cold forest, far above where people usually live. I noticed a fallen log across a rushing mountain stream, and on its upper side, the vegetation was very worn — but there were no signs of human activity like paths or cut trees.
“I realized that something large had been crossing the log repeatedly, wearing down the vegetation — and it wasn’t a person. So I set up a camera trap there for 10 nights. In the end, I was rewarded with photos and video footage of a giant male subalpine woolly rat.”
Finally, why is it important to study animals in such remote and wild places as New Guinea?
“To document biodiversity — because we still know very little about the biodiversity of tropical mountains. For example, my research on the overall diversity of non-flying mammals in tropical mountain regions is the first to provide such information across the entire Oceanian and Australian area.
“With this knowledge, we can begin to build a solid base of information and offer local governments guidance for conservation programs targeting tropical rainforests, which, as we know, are disappearing at an alarming rate.
“And secondly — and perhaps even more importantly — in New Guinea, land is owned by local communities. So we can inform them about what lives in their forests, what biodiversity is present, how rare these animals are, and why they matter. Then, when a mining company comes — and that happens often, especially with companies from Asia — they might choose not to sell their land.
“Instead, they could establish a protected area and earn recurring income from scientists and tourists who come to see these rare and remarkable endemic species.”
