Paradise in the jungle

last updated 8 January 2015

Foja Mountains, Indonesia

An international group of scientists has found dozens of new animal and plant species in a remote Indonesian jungle untouched by humans. The U.S., Indonesian, and Australian scientists spent two weeks in the Foja Mountains, on the island of New Guinea, cataloguing 20 new kinds of frogs, four new types of butterflies, and the biggest rhododendron anyone has ever seen. Tree kangaroos and porcupine-like echidna on the island were so docile, they could be picked up and petted. “It is as close to the Garden of Eden as you’re going to find on Earth,” said chief scientist Bruce Beehler.