Varirata National Park, southeast Papua New Guinea Photograph by © W.H. Bandisch, courtesy of www.orchidspng.com   Southeastern peninsula of Papua New Guinea Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   29,900 square miles (77,400 square kilometers) -- about the size of South Carolina Relatively Stable/Intact

· Endangered Egg-Layers
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Endangered Egg-Layers

The most endangered egg-layers in southeastern Papua New Guinea are not birds, but mammals. This ecoregion is home to the Papuan long-beaked echidna, one of only three mammal species that lay eggs.

Special Features

These rain forests are biologically rich, and include coastal, lowland, and montane habitats. Tropical wet evergreens dominate the ecoregion, with a quarter of the area characterized by montane evergreen forests. Coastal conifer vegetation includes Casuarina species, among others. In the lowland alluvial forest, an irregular tree canopy and dense herb and shrub layer give way to lowland hill forests that have a more closed canopy and a more open shrub layer. The montane forests have smaller-crowned trees and more even canopies, though tree and shrub coverage tends to be dense.

	The tip of the long-beaked echidnasās tongue has spikes! When hunting for worms, the echidna probes with its long beak until the end of a worm is found. It then sticks out its tongue, hooking the worm with the spikes and pulling it back into the mouth to be eaten.

Wild Side

The echidna is a well-armored mammal, covered as it is in spines of varying length mixed with fur on its back, sides, and tail. This nocturnal mammal, which likes to eat earthworms and other invertebrates, can be found nestled in hollow logs and burrows in this ecoregionās montane forests. Two species of echidnas and the ducked-billed platypus (not found in this ecoregion) are the only mammals that lay eggs. The long-beaked echidna is only one of 138 mammal species found in this ecoregion. Other endangered species include the long-footed hydromine and the large-eared nyctophilus. In addition, a few of this ecoregionās birds can be found nowhere else on earth including the streaked bowerbird and the eastern parotia.

Cause for Concern

Threats to this ecoregion are currently low, but potential habitat loss could occur as a result of logging, nickel exploitation, and traditional agriculture. The extension of a highway from the capital of Port Moresby inland to Milne Bay would also open extensive tracts of forests to exploitation.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.