Deep in the misty forests of Papua’s Cyclops Mountains, a scientific expedition uncovered two extraordinary surprises: the reappearance of a rare animal thought to be extinct, and the discovery of a shrimp that lives on land—sometimes even up in trees.
Shrimp are usually found in the sea or rivers. But during a 2023 expedition to the Cyclops Mountains, researchers stumbled upon something completely unexpected: a new genus and species of shrimp living on land and in trees, far from its usual aquatic habitat.
“We were quite surprised to find this shrimp in the middle of the forest, as it’s an extraordinary deviation from the coastal habitats they usually occupy,” said Dr. Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, lead entomologist of the expedition and researcher at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Named Paratya cyclopensis, this is the first-known shrimp species to adopt a fully terrestrial and arboreal lifestyle. At just 1.5 cm long, with a reddish-brown body that blends into the forest, these shrimp inhabit hollows in tree trunks and feed on insects and other small creatures. They use their hind legs to leap long distances when escaping predators and carry their eggs in pouches along their bodies. Unlike most shrimp, which breathe through gills in aquatic environments, this species survives on land thanks to the Cyclops Mountains’ constant rainfall and humidity, creating a moist microclimate that keeps their gills functional.
This remarkable find rewrites part of what scientists thought they knew about shrimp ecology, placing P. cyclopensis alongside other unusual Cyclops inhabitants—such as newly described frogs, cave-adapted invertebrates, and endemic birds like Mayr’s honeyeater—showcasing the mountains’ extraordinary biodiversity.
From “Green Hell” to Scientific Treasure
The journey to these discoveries was far from easy. The team faced dangers ranging from earthquakes to insect bites. One member contracted malaria, another endured a leech clinging to his eye for a day and a half, and Dr. Davranoglou himself broke two bones in his arm. They even had to evacuate from a cave system due to seismic activity.
But all the hardships paid off when they not only found this unique shrimp but also rediscovered Zaglossus attenboroughi—Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a monotreme species last seen in the 1960s and considered critically endangered. Known only from the Cyclops Mountains, it is highly localized and under threat from habitat loss and hunting. Its reappearance was captured by a camera trap on the very last SD card examined, from the last camera retrieved, on the final day of the expedition.
“I’m not joking when I say it was literally on the last SD card we checked, from the last camera we took down, on the last day of our expedition,” said Dr. James Kempton of Oxford University, who led the team.
The rediscovery was made possible through collaboration with indigenous Yongsu Sapari communities, whose deep forest knowledge guided researchers to potential habitats—an approach increasingly recognized as essential in biodiversity exploration.
Wonders Still Hidden in Papua
These findings prove that the Cyclops Mountains still hold many secrets. While some might call the area a “Green Hell,” scientists see it differently.
“Although some people might describe Cyclops as a ‘Green Hell,’ I actually think of the landscape as magical—mesmerizing and dangerous at the same time, like a world from Tolkien’s books,” Dr. Kempton said. “In an environment like this, team spirit is strong. At night, we sat around the campfire, sharing stories to the sound of frogs in the forest.”
The discovery of P. cyclopensis and the return of Z. attenboroughi are not just breakthroughs for science—they are reminders that the natural world still holds countless wonders yet to be uncovered. The Cyclops Mountains now stand as both a biodiversity hotspot and a living testament to the blurred boundaries between what we think is possible and impossible.
