Subalpine woolly rat, stretching up to 2.7ft, has scientists reeling in Papua New Guinea. This dense-furred mammal, photographed atop Mount Wilhelm in May 2025, flaunts 3-inch claws and near-cat proportions—prompting one expert to call its existence “astonishing.”

Roaming the misty forests at 12,000ft, this giant rodent was filmed by field cameras after decades of mystery. Researchers uncovered its plant-only diet, nocturnal tree-scampering, and record body size, making it a top oddity in giant rat discoveries. “Spectacular mammal,” notes Vejmělka.

Compared to brown rats, the subalpine woolly rat is over three times longer and weighs nearly 2kg—an evolutionary outlier thriving above the clouds.