Feb. 8, 2006 ? An international expedition to one of Asia's most isolated jungles has discovered a virtual "lost world" of new animal species and giant flowers, as well as rare mammals that were unafraid of humans, organizers said Tuesday.
Scientists were stunned to find dozens of new species and resolved a century-old ornithological mystery, said environmental group Conservation International, which organized the December 2005 trip.
The astonishing array of untouched biodiversity was found in the Foja Mountains in the Indonesian-administered western part of the island of New Guinea.
Experts from the United States, Indonesia and Australia found species that had never been described before, including frogs, butterflies, plants and an orange-faced honeyeater, the first new bird found on the island in more than 60 years.