The land of Papua is indeed famous for its rich diversity of flora and fauna. Not only is the high diversity level, but its endemicity. It includes the western side of Papua Island. In fact, many endemic West Papuan animals are unique and interesting.
If you want to know, what is the meaning of endemic animals? It is an animal that naturally inhabits a region. You literally can not even find these animals anywhere else. As an archipelagic country, Indonesia has a lot of endemic animals. And many of them inhabit West Papua.
So, here are endemic animals in West Papua that are the most unique and exotic!
1. Vogelkop Bowerbird
One of the endemic animals that exist the most in West Papua is the various types of birds. The land of Papua gets the nickname of bird paradise for a reason. There are so many endemic birds of West Papua that you should know. One of them is probably the Vogelkop Bowerbird.
Local citizens also know Vogelkop Bowerbird as Namdur Polos. You literally could only find these birds in the mountains of Arfak. Most endemic birds of Papua have bright and colorful feathers, but not this one. It has brown to olive feathers. It makes them one of the dullest birds ever.
However, they are considered the biggest one in the bowerbird family. Their dull feathers also make them relatively safe from predators. They love to decorate their bower. The most interesting thing is that they always want to outdo their neighbors in decorating.
2. Kalabia Walking Shark
In addition to having a wide variety of birds, West Papua is also famous for the diversity of marine life. One is the Kalabia Walking Shark, which locals refer to as Hiu Berjalan Kalabia. It is one of the endemic fish of Raja Ampat, West Papua.
The unique part is that this type of shark does not swim but walks. It uses its muscular fins to crawl on the bottom of shallow water. However, you can only see the fish at night. This is because they are nocturnal animals. In addition, Kalabia Walking Sharks are also rare and endangered.
3. Green Python
If you are a reptile lover, then the Green Python may be familiar. However, you can only find this type of snake only in West Papua, to be precise, in Raja Ampat. The Green Python is a type of python that is not venomous. In addition, the pattern is beautiful and attractive.
You can find this type of snake on several islands in Raja Ampat. Interestingly, the snakes on each island have a different pattern of scales. This is why many reptile lovers go to Raja Ampat just to see the Green Python.
4. Echidna
Then, there is the Echidna which is one of the unique endemic mammals of West Papua. This is because Echidnas give birth by laying eggs even though they are mammals. In addition, they also do not have nipples, which is unusual in mammals in general.
For a mammal, Echidna also has a low body temperature. Therefore, he is more active and looks for food at night. This is to avoid a heat wave during the day.
5. Paradise Birdwing Butterfly
Basically, West Papua does have a large diversity of butterfly species. Aside from that, there are also many endemic butterflies of West Papua. One of them is probably the Paradise Birdwing Butterfly. This butterfly has beautiful and colorful wings.
The unique thing is that this type of butterfly flies like a bird. So, no wonder many people love to see them. You can find the Paradise Birdwing Butterfly in its natural habitat, Arfak Mountains.
So, those are the endemic West Papuan animals that are unique and interesting. You definitely would find them when you are visiting West Papua.