Scientists have rediscovered a species of mammal that was thought to be extinct in Indonesia’s Cyclopean Mountains and is described as having the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the paws of a mole. This species has not been seen for more than 60 years, Reuters reports.

Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, named after British naturalist David Attenborough, was caught on camera for the first time on the last day of a four-week expedition led by Oxford University scientists.

After descending from the mountains at the end of the trip, biologist James Kempton found an image of a small creature walking through the forest undergrowth in the last memory map obtained from more than 80 cameras installed in the forest.

“There was a sense of great euphoria and also relief after spending so much time in the field without any reward until the last day,” he said, describing the moment he first saw the footage with staff from the Indonesian conservation group YAPPENDA.

“I was shouting to my colleagues who were left … and saying ‘we’ve found her, we’ve found her’ – I ran out of the office into the dining room and hugged the boys.”

The echidna has the same name as the half-woman, half-serpent Greek mythological creature, and was described by the team as a shy, nocturnal, burrow-dwelling animal that is difficult to find.

The reason it is so different from other mammals is that it is monogamous, an order that lays eggs and does not give birth to live young, and shares a single opening for the urinary, reproductive and digestive tracts.