Basically I heard on the radio of an animal thats been found and filmed that had never encountered human life before and so the people that found them were just apparently picking them up etc, does anyone know if this is in the series of Life currently being broadcasted on the BBC?

If anyone knows what I'm on about or if this is totally the wrong section please let me know!

Many thanks.

yeah it was a kangaroo type thing, it jumped right past them as they were walking.

the series was on a few weeks ago, really interesting stuff

Its a Kangaroo rat thing (basically the biggest rat on the planet so far) that they found in New Guinea - google land of the Volcano - it might still be on I-Player? You need to find the last in the series when they explore the volcano.

Regards

Silk

Thanks very much for your quick replies!

Wow....that's fascinating. I recently read about Farrell children. Sorry, thats off the topic...but these things are so incredible, they make you go wow.

Look out, little animal, humans will eat you!

I am sorry for this animal, as it does not know what humans are like.

I hope it tastes horrible.

I find this video very depressing actually. I mean look how amazing it is to find an animal like that and to be able to go right up to it and pet it. I wonder how common that was back in the early days of man. My how we've #ed up the world and nature.

The rat`s friendliness to a new animal i.e. the humans, may have been natural but it is unlikely as predators could take advantage.
The other possibility is that the rat had in fact been exposed to humans before and did not regard them as predatory.

Woder how many animals are out there that we have not yet found in the seas & land

I don't know about it being the biggest rat in the world, you can find rats that big and even bigger here in the states, usually around fast food or Asian restaurants. Those ones however are not so friendly.

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
I find this video very depressing actually. I mean look how amazing it is to find an animal like that and to be able to go right up to it and pet it. I wonder how common that was back in the early days of man.

Well it was nature's mistake then as we are a direct result of natural processes. People often forget that we are part of nature, as is anything we do or create by extension, of course that doesn't give us the excuse to go around ruining things but if we do happen to domesticate a few species or a few do become extinct (just a few mind you) there's no reason to suddenly hate humans.

It bothers me that if we humans find a predator in the wild hunting its prey to extinction we call it nature but when we do it conservationists and environmentalists call it cruel and evil. Note that this doesn't mean I condone the rape of the planet, just that I smell a double standard as big as the rat in this video.

Awesome animal in the OP, it hasn't been long since we ourselves came out of the trees and it seems we've already forgotten what was in those jungles and beneath those canopies.

[edit on 3-11-2009 by Titen-Sxull]