Animals in Papua New Guinea
Raggiana Bird of paradise
Paradisaea raggiana
The Raggiana bird of paradise is a medium sized forest bird that lives in the lowland and hill forests of Papua New Guinea. Males show long side feathers and bright colours and gather at display trees where they call, hop and hang from branches to attract females. Females have plainer plumage and spend more time searching for fruit and small animals to eat. The species nests in trees and depends on healthy forest, so the loss of tree cover near villages and roads can reduce local numbers. Because it is easy to recognise and present in several parts of the country, it has become one of the clearest examples of Papua New Guinea bird diversity.
View details→Wildlife in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a rugged island country with steep mountains, deep valleys, tropical forests, rivers and long coral reefs. Upland forests hold mammals such as tree kangaroos, small egg laying mammals, fruit bats and many rodents, together with lizards, pythons and a wide range of frogs and insects. In lower forest and coastal plains, large ground birds, forest pigeons and parrots move between clearings and village gardens. Offshore, coral reefs shelter reef fish, sea turtles and small sharks, while deeper water is used by larger sharks, dolphins, whales and dugongs. Walking trails, river trips and coastal boat tours allow visitors to see parts of this wildlife, often within a short distance of traditional villages.
Most Dangerous Animals in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea has several animals that can be dangerous if people get too close, especially in forest and coastal areas far from towns. In the interior, wild pigs can cause serious injury when cornered, and large ground birds such as cassowaries may charge if they feel threatened or if people move near nests or young. Around reefs and open coastal water, highly venomous sea snakes sometimes rest among rocks and coral, and large sharks including tiger and bull sharks patrol deeper channels. Travel with local guides, keep distance from wildlife and avoid swimming in risky places are simple ways to reduce problems.
Top 10 Animals in Papua New Guinea
On this site, the top ten section for Papua New Guinea is reserved for animals that stand out as especially representative of the country. It is intended to bring together a small group of species that people often mention or hope to see when they visit. As more detailed information is added, the list can be filled with examples that give a simple entry point into the wildlife of the country.
Wild Boar
Sus scrofa
Pigs hold extraordinary cultural importance in Papua New Guinea, where they have long been central to ceremonial exchange, bride price payments and feasts across hundreds of distinct communities. Alongside domestic herds, feral and wild populations live in forests throughout the country and are hunted for subsistence. Their foraging can damage garden crops, making them both a valued resource and an occasional source of conflict for farmers.
Echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
The short-beaked echidna is found throughout Papua New Guinea, from lowland rainforests to highland meadows rich in vegetation. It is one of only five living monotremes in the world and is considered a culturally significant animal in many local communities. It feeds on ants, termites, and worms, and shelters by burrowing into the ground. Its IUCN status is Least Concern across its range.
Fruit Bat
Pteropodidae
Papua New Guinea supports some of the most diverse fruit bat populations in the world, with dozens of species recorded across its rainforests and island coastlines. Large colonies roost in tall forest trees and emerge at dusk to feed on fruit and nectar. They are crucial to the regeneration of Papua New Guinea's vast and largely intact tropical forests. Some species are hunted for food by local communities. Their IUCN status is Least Concern.
Tree Kangaroo
Dendrolagus spp.
Papua New Guinea is home to the greatest diversity of tree kangaroo species in the world. These marsupials live in the mountain rainforests and lowland jungles that cover much of the country. They feed on leaves and fruit in the forest canopy, resting through most of the day. Hunting for food and the loss of forest to farming are the biggest threats they face here. Several species are listed as Endangered.
Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Papua New Guinea's long, largely undeveloped coastline and many islands provide important habitat for green turtles, which nest on beaches of the mainland and offshore islands and forage on reefs and seagrass beds across the Bismarck Sea, the Louisiade Archipelago and the Torres Strait region. Turtles and their eggs are traditionally harvested by many coastal communities, which is the main pressure on green turtles here. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis
Papua New Guinea is at the heart of the green tree python's range. It lives in rainforest from sea level up to about 1,800 meters, with the northern green python on one side of the central ranges and the southern species on the other. Its bright green scales hide it in the canopy, where it hunts rats and mice at night. Logging and collection for the pet trade are the main threats here. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Sea Snake
Laticauda colubrina
Papua New Guinea, within the Coral Triangle, has rich populations of the banded sea krait on the reefs, lagoons and small islands along its coasts and offshore archipelagos. It hunts moray and conger eels; eels here resist its venom, a sign of a long evolutionary arms race. It comes ashore on islets to rest and lay eggs. Subsistence and commercial fishing are the main threats. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Saltwater Crocodile
Crocodylus porosus
Papua New Guinea holds a large and secure population, with strongholds in the Sepik and Fly river systems and along the swampy southern coast. The crocodile carries deep cultural weight on the Sepik, where skin scarification rituals and the annual crocodile festival in Ambunti celebrate it. A ranching system that buys wild eggs and young ties village income to healthy nests. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is found in Papua New Guinea mainly in open grassland, farmland, and areas near villages and towns in the highland valleys and the coastal lowlands. Dense tropical rainforest covers much of the country's interior and offers little suitable open hunting habitat. It nests in old buildings, hollow trees, and cliff faces, and hunts rodents and other small prey at night. In the agricultural highland valleys around Goroka, Mount Hagen, and other highland towns, it is one of the more commonly encountered owls and plays a useful role in controlling rodent populations near farms and settlements.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Papua New Guinea's rugged mountain ranges and forested coastlines provide habitat for the peregrine falcon, which is represented here by local and migratory individuals. The subspecies Falco peregrinus ernesti has been recorded in the region. Open ridgelines, coastal cliffs, and the edges of highland forest offer perches and hunting grounds where it targets smaller birds in flight. The country's rich biodiversity and largely intact wild areas support this predator alongside a vast range of other species. Its IUCN status is Least Concern.
Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius
Papua New Guinea holds some of the largest populations of the southern cassowary, in the lowland and hill rainforests of the south of the country. Cassowaries are deeply woven into many local cultures, where chicks are sometimes raised in villages and feathers and bones are used in traditional objects. Hunting and forest clearance affect them locally, but large areas of forest remain. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Raggiana Bird of paradise
Paradisaea raggiana
The Raggiana bird of paradise is Papua New Guinea's national bird, flying across the flag and standing on the national emblem. It lives in lowland and hill rainforest across the south, southeast and north of the country, and males gather at traditional lek trees where they hang upside down with their crimson flank plumes fanned open. Varirata National Park, near Port Moresby, is the easiest place to watch a display at dawn. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Dugong
Dugong dugon
Papua New Guinea shares with Australia the Torres Strait, home of the largest dugong population in the world, and dugongs also live around Manus, the Bismarck Archipelago and many coastal islands. In Western Province, around Daru, coastal communities have hunted them for generations, and dugong meat remains an important traditional food. Managing that hunt sustainably is the main challenge. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
In Papua New Guinea the great barracuda lives on some of the richest reefs in the world, in the Coral Triangle. Divers meet it in Kimbe Bay on New Britain, in Milne Bay, around Madang and New Ireland, and on the WWII wrecks of the coast, usually alone at the reef edge, while big schools of smaller barracuda species circle on the reef points. Juveniles grow up in the vast coastal mangroves. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
In Papua New Guinea the tiger shark lives in warm coastal and offshore waters, around the coasts and islands of the Coral Triangle, hunting fish, rays, sea turtles and sea snakes, often close to shore at night. Remote reefs still hold more large sharks than most of Asia. Large sharks have been heavily fished across the region for their fins, and tiger sharks are now seen far less often than in the past. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Reef Shark
Several species (Carcharhinus melanopterus, C. perezi, C. amblyrhynchos, Triaenodon obesus)
In Papua New Guinea reef sharks live on some of the richest reefs in the Coral Triangle. Gray reef and whitetip reef sharks patrol the walls and seamounts of Kimbe Bay, Milne Bay and New Ireland, and blacktip reef sharks cruise the shallow lagoons of the islands. Many remote reefs still have healthy shark numbers, although fishing for fins has reduced them near towns and along busy coasts. IUCN status: Vulnerable to Endangered, depending on species.
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
In Papua New Guinea the bull shark lives along the coasts and swims far up great rivers such as the Fly and the Purari, which cross the swamps of the southern lowlands on their way to the Gulf of Papua. Young sharks grow up in the huge mangrove deltas of the south coast. Local communities catch sharks for food. Adults hunt in the murky coastal waters of the Gulf of Papua. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .