Irian Jaya is one of the richest concentration of wildlife and plant life in the world. Mammals are rarely seen in Irian Jaya. Those that are here mostly marsupials like wallabies, tree kangaroos, the echidna and possums, as well as small rodents and bats like the flying fox, inhabit the forest. Large boars can be found in the lowlands while smaller pigs and dingoes are found in the highland areas. By far the most spectacualr animals, however,are the birds.The largest indigenous land animalis, in fact, the flightless cassowary.

Experts estimates the insects species number in the hundreds of thousands including magnificent bird-wing butterflies and more than 800 species of spider. More than 640 species of birds have been identified. Some of the most spectacular ones include parrots, cockatoos, lories,the Victoria crowned pigeon, hornbills, riflebirds and over 36 types of birds of paradise.

Two species of giant saltwater crocodiles can be found in the coastal swamp areas along with a large variety of snakes and lizards, some dangerous like the death adder and taipan, others not, like the green tree python and emerlald tree monitor lizard.

Offshore the intense profusion of life is no different. Coral reefs in the north are said to be home for more than 3,000 species of fish, with dolphins, tuna, mackerel and jacks common.

The most magnificent aspect of Irian Jaya, however, its phenomenal plant life. The sheer number of species of plants climbs into the hundreds of thousands,m any with medicinal properties, with more being discovered all the time. Any list of plants does not do justice to Irian Jaya, but the most exotic include more than 2,700 species of orchids, pitcher plant, and giant anthouse plants.