(NewsNation) — A long-lost species of mammal has been rediscovered in Indonesia more than 60 years after its last recorded sighting.
Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, named after the British broadcaster and biologist David Attenborough, is described as somewhat of a mix between a hedgehog, an anteater and a mole.
The creature was photographed for the first time by a trail camera on the last day of a four-week expedition led by Oxford University scientists in Indonesia's remote Cyclops Mountains.
Having descended from the mountains at the end of the trip, biologist James Kempton found the images of the small creature walking through the forest undergrowth on the last memory card retrieved from more than 80 remote cameras.
"There was a great sense of euphoria, and also relief having spent so long in the field with no reward until the very final day," he told Reuters, describing the moment he first saw the footage with collaborators from Indonesian conservation group YAPPENDA.
"I shouted out to my colleagues that were still remaining… and said 'we found it, we found it' - I ran in from my desk to the living room and hugged the guys."
The species has only been scientifically recorded once before, by a Dutch botanist in 1961. A different echidna species is found throughout Australia and lowland New Guinea.
Reuters contributed to this story.