12-20-2007, 02:59 AM
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A giant rodent five times as big as a common rat has been discovered in the mountainous jungles of New Guinea.
The 1.4kg Mallomys giant rat is one of two species of mammal thought to be new to science found on a trip to the "lost world".
"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution.
"With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."
Conservationists also found a pygmy possum - one of the world's smallest marsupials, reports the BBC.
Both of the mammals found in the region, north of Papua province, Indonesia, are being studied to establish whether they are new species.
"It's comforting to know that there is a place on Earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.
The Foja Mountains, part of the Mamberamo Basin, contain the largest pristine tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.
In 2005, the area was dubbed a "lost world" after scientists discovered dozens of new plants and animals in the dense jungle.
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