Elusive Pygmy Tarsier, Thought Extinct, Found in Indonesia

Dense coats of fur, big eyes, cute and tiny bodies have prompted many bloggers and writers to relate the newly rediscovered primate, the Pygmy Tarsier, to Furby toys, or Gizmo from the movie Gremlins. In reality the pygmy tarsier is a primate that lives shrouded in mystery in central Sulawesi.

The pygmy tarsier has been rediscovered in the forests of Indonesia; accentuating the fact that having a lack of evidence for existence of something doesn't mean that something is not out there. Last seen alive in the 1920s, the small 2-ounce carnivorous primate lives in a habitat that is extremely remote, steep and difficult to access. This, and the fact that other nocturnal primates can persist relatively unobserved for long periods of time, are the reasons that the IUCN Red List shows the pygmy tarsier as being listed as "Data Deficient" and not "Endangered" or "Extinct". There is just not adequate data on the species.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species goals' are listed as to "[i]dentify and document those species most in need of conservation attention if global extinction rates are to be reduced; and Provide a global index of the state of change of biodiversity," according to their website. The listing for the pygmy tarsier, whose scientific name is the Tarsius pumilus, states that information on the species has been compiled from only three specimens. The first was collected in 1916 from Rano Rano; the second was collected in 1930 from Mount Rantemario in South Sulawesi; and the third was found dead in a rat trap in May of 2000 on the flank of Mount Rorekatimbu. They were found at 1,800m and 2,200m altitudes.

Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a Texas A&M anthropologist lead the expedition to search for the elusive pygmy tarsier. Gursky-Doyen's research was funded by the National Geographic Society, the Conservation International Primate Action Fund, Primate Conservation Inc. and Texas A&M. Hopes are that this discovery will lead to the answers to many of the questions that scientist have about the species; such as how they communicate with each other as they aren't doing it through vocalization or scent markings according to Gursky-Doyen. Two males and a female of the species were trapped and radio collared to track their movements.

Gursky-Doyen has been quoted as saying "I'm the only person in the world to ever be bitten by a pygmy tarsier." Apparently while applying the radio collars, one of the captured primates turned around and nipped her finger, easily enough done when you can turn your head around 180°. Just proves the point, no matter how cute and cuddly they look, they are still wild animals.

Resources

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

NewScientist.com

Real Life Gremlin Rediscovered in the Wild

National Geographic

"Extinct" Primate Found in Indonesia

Wikipedia

Pygmy Tarsier Article

MSNBC

Real Life Furbys Rediscovered