Wildlife in Papua New Guinea

An ecological extravaganza ...

The fauna of Papua New Guinea is one of the richest in the world and it is impossible to give exact numbers of species found in New Guinea. Many species, particularly invertebrates, remain unnamed and even more are yet undiscovered.

There are about 190 species of mammals in Papua New Guinea. However, as Papua New Guinea falls East of the Wallace line, there are no African animals in the country. Marsupials such as the Tree Kangaroo, possums, wallabies and rodents dominate the mammal species.

There are at least 25,000 species of beetles and 6,000 moths and butterflies here. There are also grasshoppers, earwigs, termites, bees, wasps, ants, dragonflies, damselflies, lacewings, cicadas, mayflies, aphids and those ubiquitous mosquitoes.

There are about 160 species of frogs alone. New Guinea has 2 species of
crocodile. The estuarine or saltwater crocodile is widespread throughout the Indo-pacific. It lives in marine habitats and coastal river systems. The New Guinea crocodile is found in freshwater rivers, lakes, marshes and swamplands. The two species actually co-exist in many of New Guinea's rivers.

New Guinea has a rich lizard fauna with about 170 species that includes the geckos, legless lizards, dragon lizards and monitor lizards. There are about 100 species of skinks and approximately 110 species of snakes including sea snakes, tree snakes, pythons and (more rarely) poisonous front-fanged snakes such as the death adder and taipans.

We offer rainforest nature walks at Ambua, Karawari, Rondon and Malolo Plantation Lodges of varying difficulty; and boat tours explore the floodplains of the Bensbach Wildlife Lodge, giving one the opportunity to experience some of the diverse ecology and wildlife that Papua New Guinea has to offer. Our cultural guides and tours offer one an insight into how the local people revere
and live side by side with the wildlife in their areas.

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