#newguinea — Public Fediverse posts

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🎸🐍 Scientists named a newly described #NewGuinea groundsnake, "Lielaphis slashi", after Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, for his love of #reptiles.

Herpetologist Chris Austin first spotted the 71 cm (28 in) snake during nighttime fieldwork in 2006. Genetic and ecological analysis confirmed it as a distinct #species, supporting #conservation in New Guinea’s threatened #forests.

👉 https://www.popsci.com/environment/snake-species-named-after-guns-n-roses-guitarist-slash/

#snakes #gunsnroses #herpetology #science #biodiversity #zoology #fieldmuseum #nature #wildlife #reptiles #discovery #genetics

You never know when something in your possession will be of significance to others till you mention it. I had a photo of a ship my dad served on, as a bosun's mate, in the Pacific in #WorldWarII. I noticed that it was not the same as other photos posted online, so contacted navsource.net and offered them a scan, and they accepted it and credited me. Now it's the image used on the bronze memorial marker to the ship. The AKA-17 Centaurus served at, among other places, #Peleliu and #Okinawa, and landed General MacArthur at #NewGuinea.

AKA-17 Centaurus, riding at anchor, side view. Image shows the extra masts supporting radio infrastructure of #Ultra transmissions from Hawaii, which was classified at the time and often expunged from published photos. Also this camouflage scheme appears not to be shown in most other photos. My dad served aboard her as a bosun's mate and radioman at #Kwajalein, Okinawa, and China.

https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/02/02017.htm

Eastern Long-beaked #Echidnas are rare egg-laying #mammals 🥚🦔 They are a prehistoric fever dream with a tube-like beak and hedgehog like spines. Help them survive in #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/03/eastern-long-beaked-echidna-zaglossus-bartoni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

Victoria crown #pigeons of #NewGuinea 🕊️🦜have stunning lilac and maroon feathers that mesmerise admirers. Don’t let these #birds die out like their cousin the #dodo, help them survive. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴⛔️ when you shop! @palmoildetectives https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/12/victoria-crowned-pigeon-victoria-goura/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

Eastern Long-beaked #Echidnas are rare egg-laying #mammals 🥚🦔 They are a prehistoric fever dream with a tube-like beak and hedgehog like spines. Help them survive in #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife
@[email protected]
 
youtu.be/fLVwMuDzn_c

Eastern Long beaked Echidna Za...

Eastern Long-beaked #Echidnas are rare egg-laying #mammals 🥚🦔 They are a prehistoric fever dream with a tube-like beak and hedgehog like spines. Help them survive in #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/03/eastern-long-beaked-echidna-zaglossus-bartoni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

You hear a Papuan #Hornbill 🐦🦤before you see one, with their echoing and eerie calls 🎶🥁 in #NewGuinea's #rainforest 🇵🇬🍃 Protect these magnificent #birds when you shop! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸🧐🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect

https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/06/28/blyths-hornbill-sound-haunting-papuan-hornbill-calls/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

2/2
Grip it in his left foot and rock out, banging it rhythmically against a hollow tree trunk to impress a female. Throw the stick to the ground like a rock star smashing a guitar at the end of a set once he's finished.

They each have their own totally unique drumming rhythm and instrument design preference, which they actually teach to their sons over many years.

#birds
#PalmCockatoo
#Australia
#CapeYork
#NewGuinea

Drumming for love
1/2
Male Palm Cockatoos are famous for being the rock stars of the bird world. They are the only non-human animals known to craft and use musical instruments for mating displays.

The male Palm Cockatoo will:Snap a thick branch off a live tree or find a large, hard seed pod. Whittle it down with his massive beak to custom specifications (some prefer short and stubby, others like them long and thin).

#photography
#birds
#PalmCockatoo
#CapeYork
#NewGuinea
#AltText

Drawn From Paradise: The Discovery, Art and Natural History of the Birds of Paradise by David Attenborough & Errol Fuller, 2013

Drawn from Paradise is David Attenborough's journey through the cultural history of the birds of paradise, one of the most exquisite and extravagant, colourful and intriguing families of birds.

#books
#nonfiction
#birds
#BirdsOfParadise
#NaturalHistory
#DavidAttenborough
#NewGuinea

#GoodNews #News #Wildlife #Conservation #Reefs #NewGuinea #Pacific #Oceans #Enviroment #Protected #alt

ARRON PARNAS 6/7/26
GOOD NEWS ONLY
NEW GUINEA PROTECTS ITS REEFS AND WILDLIFE

In 1994, I visited West Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea. I was in graduate school doing thesis research. I came within 60 miles of this mountain--I was obsessed with seeing the only glacier topped mountain between the Himalayas and the Andes. But due to the insurgency, i couldn't reach it... I always told myself someday I'd return to see that glacier but it looks like I will have misssed my chance. #indonesia
#newguinea #ClimateChange
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/27/witnessing-the-disappearance-of-indonesia-eternity-glaciers

I've been going through unsorted accessions in the #Australian National #Insect #Collection (#ANIC) here in Canberra to find any plume #moths (#Pterophoridae) and many-plume moths (#Alucitidae) before doing more work to revise the fauna of these two families.

Today, I found this specimen collected by David Rentz in #Kuranda #Queensland in 2007 - it's not a known named Australian species but it looks a close match for Platyptilia microbscura recorded only from #Misool, an island to the west of #NewGuinea:

https://www.papua-insects.nl/insect%20orders/Lepidoptera/Pterophoridae/Platyptilia/Platyptilia%20microbscura.htm

#entomology #Lepidoptera

💁🏻‍♀️ ICYMI: 🥁🦜 Many #birds use tools, but the palm #cockatoo, a native #parrot of northern #Queensland, #Australia, and #NewGuinea, is the only animal on #Earth known to make #music with a tool.

Male palm cockatoos craft drumsticks from branches and use them to drum on their prepared tree hollows in the tops of old-growth #trees. Each male has its own rhythmic style, sometimes drumming 200 beats in a row.

👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/palm-cockatoos-only-animal-tool-use-drumming-video

#ornithology #wildlife #science #biology #evolution #ecology #research #animals #conservation #drums #endangeredspecies #forest #instruments #mating #nature #rainforest #sound #trees #tksst #video

🥁🦜 Many #birds use tools, but the palm #cockatoo, a native #parrot of northern #Queensland, #Australia, and #NewGuinea, is the only animal on #Earth known to make #music with a tool.

Male palm cockatoos craft drumsticks from branches and use them to drum on their prepared tree hollows in the tops of old-growth #trees. Each male has its own rhythmic style, sometimes drumming 200 beats in a row.

👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/palm-cockatoos-only-animal-tool-use-drumming-video

#ornithology #wildlife #science #biology #evolution #ecology #research #animals #conservation #drums #endangeredspecies #forest #instruments #mating #nature #rainforest #sound #trees #tksst #video

Eastern Long-beaked #Echidnas are rare egg-laying #mammals 🥚🦔 They are a prehistoric fever dream with a tube-like beak and hedgehog like spines. Help them survive in #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/03/eastern-long-beaked-echidna-zaglossus-bartoni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

💁🏻‍♀️ ICYMI: 🐦🧬 This #Cornell Lab #video uses #NewGuinea’s #Birds of Paradise to explain speciation, demonstrating how one species splits into many through reproductive isolation and colonization.

👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/speciation-illustrated-introduction-cornell-lab-video?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=new_content&utm_content=speciation-cornell-birds

#animals #genetics #geography #geology #history #island #migration #nature #newguinea #reproduction #science #tksst

🐦🧬 This #Cornell Lab #video uses #NewGuinea’s #Birds of Paradise to explain speciation, demonstrating how one species splits into many through reproductive isolation and colonization.

👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/speciation-illustrated-introduction-cornell-lab-video?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=new_content&utm_content=speciation-cornell-birds

#animals #genetics #geography #geology #history #island #migration #nature #newguinea #reproduction #science #tksst

Reclusive and fuzzy Mountain #Cuscus of #WestPapua are cuddly #marsupials, who prefer to snooze among the tangled vines of trees rather than move around. Help them and forests of #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 to survive #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮☠️🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-6rE?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

The pygmy long-fingered opossum and the ring-tailed glider went extinct in the Pleistocene, 6,000 years ago--except they have just been found alive in New Guinea.

Summary: https://www.sci.news/biology/two-marsupials-new-guinea-14648.html

Original paper: https://journals.australian.museum/flannery-2026-rec-aust-mus-781-1734/

#Science #Biology #Wildlife #Extinction #NewGuinea

Eastern Long-beaked #Echidnas are rare egg-laying #mammals 🥚🦔 They are a prehistoric fever dream with a tube-like beak and hedgehog like spines. Help them survive in #NewGuinea 🇵🇬 when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/03/eastern-long-beaked-echidna-zaglossus-bartoni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

Victoria crown #pigeons of #NewGuinea 🕊️🦜have stunning lilac and maroon feathers that mesmerise admirers. Don't let these #birds die out like their cousin the #dodo, help them survive. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴⛔️ when you shop! https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/12/victoria-crowned-pigeon-victoria-goura/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/12/victoria-crowned-pigeon-victoria-goura/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

#Cassowaries

#NewGuinea
#birds

Birds of New Guinea by Thane K. Pratt, Bruce M. Beehler, 2014

This is the completely revised edition of the essential field guide to the birds of New Guinea. The world's largest tropical island, New Guinea boasts a spectacular avifauna characterized by cassowaries, megapodes, pigeons, parrots, cuckoos, kingfishers, and owlet-nightjars, as well as an exceptionally diverse assemblage of songbirds such as the iconic birds of paradise and bowerbirds.

#books
#nonfiction
#NewGuinea
#birds

Victoria crown #pigeons of #NewGuinea 🕊️🦜have stunning lilac and maroon feathers that mesmerise admirers. Don't let these #birds die out like their cousin the #dodo, help them survive. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴⛔️ when you shop! https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/12/victoria-crowned-pigeon-victoria-goura/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

The dazzling Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise 🌈💫 earn their name from male birds' mating dances for females 🥁🎷🕊️ Help them to survive #palmoil and #mining #deforestation in #WestPapua and #NewGuinea and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/26/magnificent-bird-of-paradise-cicinnurus-magnificus/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

The dazzling Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise 🌈💫 earn their name from male birds' mating dances for females 🥁🎷🕊️ Help them to survive #palmoil and #mining #deforestation in #WestPapua and #NewGuinea and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/26/magnificent-bird-of-paradise-cicinnurus-magnificus/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/26/magnificent-bird-of-paradise-cicinnurus-magnificus/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Location: Papua New Guinea, West Papua, Australia

Region: Trans-Fly ecosystem of southern Papua New Guinea and West Papua along with northern parts of Australia.

The frill-necked lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii, also known as the frilled dragons or frill-neck lizards, are famous for their impressive neck frill that fans out dramatically when they feel threatened. The Trans-Fly savannahs of southern Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua, have come increasingly under threat over the past decade by climate change-related extreme weather and deforestation. Anthropogenic threats include habitat destruction for timber and palm oil, climate change-related fires, expanding agricultural zones, road and infrastructure building and capture for the exotic pet trade. In Australia, these lizards eat poisonous cane toads that are deadly once ingested. This along with large-scale bushfires pose threats to Frill-necked #Lizards. Once abundant, these striking reptiles are now losing their ecosystems. Use your wallet as a weapon for them by defending New Guinea’s forests. Choose palm oil-free products and boycott the pet trade. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

The Frilled-Neck #Lizard 🦎💚 is an icon of #Australia 🇦🇺. Their #PapuaNewGuinea 🇵🇬 and #WestPapua populations are under threat from #deforestation 🌴🩸⛔️ along with #ClimateChange. Protect their home and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/11/09/frill-necked-lizard-chlamydosaurus-kingii/

With their dramatic frilled necks 🦎😻✨ and ability to run on two legs, Frilled-Neck #Lizards are arguably the most spectacular lizards in all of #Melanesia 🇵🇬 Help protect their #NewGuinea population #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/11/09/frill-necked-lizard-chlamydosaurus-kingii/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a44j267-nxE

Appearance & Behaviour

With their iconic neck frill, long limbs and ability to sprint upright on two legs, frill-necked lizards are one of the most distinctive reptiles in the world. New Guinean individuals typically feature vivid yellow frills that flare outward like a sunburst when they feel threatened—often accompanied by a hiss and an open mouth to appear larger than life. Their frill can reach up to 30 cm across, supported by hyoid bones and cartilage that fan the skin out in a flash. Colouration is variable, and in New Guinea, these lizards lean towards paler hues with distinctive white markings accenting their yellow frills.

Primarily arboreal, they spend over 90% of their time in the trees. They are solitary, territorial, and highly dependent on their frill to communicate and intimidate. During the wet season, they descend closer to the ground in search of food, only to retreat to the higher canopy during the dry months when food is scarce.

Threats

• Deforestation for palm oil plantations is rapidly fragmenting their native woodlands in the Trans-Fly region of West Papua and Papua New Guinea.
• Illegal capture for the pet trade—many specimens claimed to be ‘captive bred’ are actually wild-caught in Papua New Guinea.
• Late dry season fires increase mortality rates and reduce food availability.
• Predation by feral cats is an ongoing issue in some parts of their range.
• Climate change related extreme weather may impact their reproduction, as temperature influences sex ratios and growth rates.

Geographic Range

This species is found in northern Australia and across southern New Guinea, including both Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua. In New Guinea, they inhabit the Trans-Fly savannah region—a unique landscape of seasonal woodlands and dry forests. These lizards avoid low-lying Melaleuca-dominated swamps and prefer elevated areas with well-drained soils and diverse tree species. However, their range in New Guinea is far more restricted than in Australia, making local threats far more significant to their survival.

Diet

Frill-necked lizards are insectivorous ambush predators. They rely on their sharp eyesight and camouflage to spot prey from high in the trees. Their diet consists mainly of insects like termites, cicadas, beetles, ants, and centipedes. During the dry season, termites are especially important, while the wet season sees them shifting to moth larvae. Occasionally, they will consume spiders, small rodents, and other lizards.

Mating and Reproduction

Mating occurs during the late dry and early wet seasons. Males engage in dramatic frill displays and combat to win over females. Females dig a shallow burrow where they lay 1–2 clutches of 4–20 eggs. Temperature plays a critical role in determining the sex of hatchlings—warmer nests produce more males, while cooler ones yield more females. Young frillies are independent within 10 days of hatching and can deploy their frills almost immediately.

FAQs

How many Frill-necked lizards are left in New Guinea?

There is no precise population estimate for New Guinea, but while the species is locally common in parts of Australia, their populations in the Trans-Fly region are under pressure. Their limited range, coupled with the impacts of deforestation and trade, may mean local declines are already occurring.

How long do Frill-necked lizards live in the wild?

Frill-necked lizards in the wild can live up to 6 years for males and around 4 years for females. Hatchlings grow rapidly during the wet season and reach sexual maturity by about two years of age.

Do Frill-necked lizards make good pets?

Absolutely not. These sensitive reptiles are wild animals with complex needs. They are difficult to breed in captivity, meaning many sold in pet markets are likely wild-caught, contributing directly to population declines. Keeping them as pets fuels this harmful trade and leads to suffering. If you care about frill-necked lizards, do not support the exotic pet industry.

Take Action!

Support local and indigenous-led resistance to palm oil deforestation in West Papua and Papua New Guinea. Boycott palm oil products entirely—there is no such thing as “sustainable” palm oil, all of it causes deforestation. Say no to the exotic pet trade, which is stripping these unique lizards from the wild and pushing them towards decline. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Support Frill-Necked Lizards by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

O’Shea, M., Allison, A., Tallowin, O., Wilson, S. & Melville, J. 2017. Chlamydosaurus kingii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T170384A21644690. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T170384A21644690.en. Accessed on 06 April 2025.

Harlow, P. S., & Shine, R. (1999). Temperature-dependent sex determination in reptiles: insights from frillneck lizards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 68(3), 197–211. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3893081

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Frilled lizard. Wikipedia. Retrieved 7 April 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frilled_lizard

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Greeting new followers. Some folks have migrated here with the continued degradation of the bird site. Time for another #introduction

I’m Mike and I’m an American audio/visual journalist based in Sydney #Australia.

If you listen to the podcasts at @mongabay thats my voice.

I cover a very wide range of topics and locations including #NewGuinea #CongoBasin #ClimateChange #Solutions #Deforestation and #HumanRights.