Comments on: New species of giant rat discovered in crater of volcano in Papua New Guinea http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/ News about the Smithsonian’s research in the fields of anthropology, astrophysics, conservation biology, geology, materials science, paleontology, zoology, and global climate change. Mon, 08 Dec 2014 08:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 By: HEY BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-20967 Thu, 03 May 2012 03:21:00 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-20967 I researched this topic in 4th grade, I am in 6th grade now.  It was very interesting to learn about.  I am researching Papua New Guinea as a world fair project and using some of these animals as part of my project.  I have 2 or 3 weeks left of school and am super excited to present my project and gather more information on this entirely different place than kansas.  I AM EXCITED BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> By: Jeremy Urrey http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-12743 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:25:35 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-12743 So, tree rings correlate with global temperature, I read that everywhere. What if that is untrue though?? I read this book this week, http://www.blindedbyscience.co.uk, that clearly shows this supposed link to be unfounded. This changes everything, right? If this is the case, what implications does it have for the argument supporting global warming? I think this could be a very important realisation. What do you think?

]]> By: Zachery Pietrini http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-7251 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:58:11 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-7251 It appears that you have put loads of hard work into this post and I want even more of those on the net now. I seriously got a kick from the post. I do not obviously have much to voice responding, I just wished to remark to your wonderful work.

]]> By: Clasificados Panama http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-5887 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:27:49 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-5887 Great post – and nifty domain by the way!

]]> By: allie http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-3718 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:19:21 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-3718 hi there we are six grade studens from monson M.A. we have been researching on this topic if you have any information we could add to make are project cool and interesting we would love it thank u sooooo much. bye the way awsome pics.

sincerly
6th grade volcanologist

]]> By: Page http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-2788 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:16:05 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-2788 We are going to be running ecoadventure trips to this incredible place as a personal request from the local tribespeople surrounding Mount Bosavi. This is due to the fact that they are under pressure for money ever since the government in PNG proposed that all children must be educated through proper schooling which is quite expensive. These remote tribespeople are subsistence farmers and have no way to pay for schooling, boarding and transport of children to schools in larger communities, so they are desparate in their need for money. Logging companies and oil companies are taking advantage of this weakness and have already choppered into the area to convince the people to sell their land rights for logging, for a good amount of money (but only a tiny fraction of what the wood will sell for on the foreign market). The community is divided and if something doesn’t happen soon to counter the loggers, this unique and absolutely incredible area (and all the wildlife that relies on this fragile balance) will disappear for ever. So, as an alternative to logging for money, we are the only company that will take people into this area, staying at the BBC base camps and visiting the amazing people and elusive animals that inhibit this area. A schooling bank account has already been setup now, for profits to go to paying for the education fee’s of the children in the villages we are working directly with and you can donate directly to this account or better yet, come with us on a trip of a lifetime! http://www.trekoceania.com.au or http://www.northerndistracktions.com.au (on the latter website, under trip photos button, see a slideshow from the most recent trip after the BBC shoot “Lost Land of the Volcano”)

]]> By: Wendy Talene http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-1042 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:53:49 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-1042 I lived in Papua New Guinea in the Southern Highlands Province until I was 18 years old. The Folopa people of Mount Tawa know of a spider with nine legs in that area. I wonder if any of these scientists finally found it and documented it. I believe it is in the wolf spider family, brown and fuzzy, about 4 inches spread out and lives in the dirt rather than making a web. It seems to have a seasonal population growth pattern. Anyone document it yet?
Also, there are a great many giant rats in the village I grew up in so it doesn’t surprise me that they are also nearby in the crater.

]]> By: JK Brown http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-561 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:18:02 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-561 The actual discovery of a giant rat in PNG isn’t the reason for the scientific community’s excitement. The excitement is centered around the fact that this rat has been ‘cut-off’ from the outside world and has lived for thousands of generations in isolation within the Bosavi crater, cut off from the other giant rat’s that inhibit the jungles of PNG. The Scientists were excited that this species, like those of Galapagos Island creatures, may be completely new to science because of genetic variation within a limited genepool. A very amazing and unique thing to find these days, is an area of bio-isolation where the critters have no chance of interbreeding with an outside source of fresh genetic material, so the species that remain are very adapted to their narrow realm of conditions…..VERY AWESOME TO SEE FIRSTHAND IN THIS AGE WHERE WE ARE OFTEN TOLD THERE IS LITTLE LEFT TO DISCOVER. Yay!

]]> By: Robyn Knights http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-509 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:55:30 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-509 I have a picture of giant rats in Papua New Guinea taken by my father Greg Neilsen who was a Patrol Officer up in that region in the 1930 era, they were being studied by a chap from England. I can photograph and send you proof. So he discovered these 3 foot rats years and years ago.

]]> By: john naranjo http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-272 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:50:37 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-272 omg i like i luv dis animal. its so awsome looking i wish i had a pet for it cause my mom always says i can get a rat and i would be really interested in buying one of these. please send me a message back if i can buy one thank you from animal lover xx123957

]]> By: tee http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-200 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:56:26 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-200 More reason for us to save our rain forrest. So many valuable medicines, plant and animal life destroyed before they are every discovered. Good work!

]]> By: Misty http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-150 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:39:17 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-150 OMG ITS AWOMEEEEEE!

]]> By: mleffel http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-129 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:01:32 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-129 You never know what will pop up next!

]]> By: Mike http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-124 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:21:24 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-124 Interesting!

]]> By: Chris http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/09/new-species-of-giant-rat-discovered-in-crater-of-volcano-in-papua-new-guinea/#comment-118 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:13:09 +0000 http://smithsonianscience.org/?p=1487#comment-118 my hisory teacher told us about this today in class! its awesome!!!

]]>