The cuscus is nocturnal like many other forest dwellers
The large Pinon Imperial Pidgeon is only found in New Guinea
Animal life in the forests and mountains along the Papua New Guinea costs is exotic, exciting and sometimes spectacular, but as in most rainforest areas you often need to look for them to get a glimpse. Rainforests are lush and dense, and when walking through, one is in a small world and often a quiet one . Birds and butterflies, millipeeds and spiders are your most likely sightings, and these come in beautiful colors and shapes.
The red female and the green male Eclectue Parrot
Part of the thrill is that in PNG so many species are endemic, and around Tufi many of these can be spotted. Among the birds are the Palm Cockatoo, the Pinon Imperial Pidgeon, and a number of parrots. A few of the Bird of Paradise species can be seen, but most of these only dwell at higher altitudes. The largest bird is the cassowary and you have to get deeper into the forest to find them. In the lowland rainforests of Musa and Collingwood Bay they are still quite plentiful. The only mammal is the wild boar, which are a nuisence when they come and raid the peoples gardens, but then they are the prime game for the hunters. Most four-legged animals are marsupials, like wallabies, cuscus, possums and bandicoots.
The wallabies thrive in the grasslands
I’ll come back to the butterflies in another post, and with sea-life as well. In the meantime you can see my Tufi bird and butterfly collection on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29122604@N05/sets/72157626404706060/
This cassowary I found at Billabong Zoo in Townsville, Australia
