Pygmy tarsiers are among the rarest of the many tarsier species in Asia and the Pacific. In fact, they we believed extinct until two Indonesian scientists trapping rats in Sulawesi accidentally trapped and killed one in 2000. But that was a dead specimen. Scientists from Texas A&M University have reported captured three live animals from Sulawesi.
These pygmy tarsiers, which are about the size of a small mouse and weigh less than 2 ounces, closely resemble either a Furby or a Gremlin (from the movie).
A statement from Texas A&M University reads:
Over a two-month period, two males and one female were trapped on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The scientists used approximately 276 mist nets to capture the creatures, then attached radio collars to their necks so they could track their movements.
Prior to this, according to MSNBC, only three pygmy tarsiers had ever been collected. Two were found in 1916 and 1930; the third was the aforementioned dead specimen.
Texas A&M anthropologist Sharon Gursky-Doyen was leader of the expedition, with graduate student Nanda Grow assisting. Gursky-Doyen’s research was funded by the National Geographic Society, the Conservation International Primate Action Fund, Primate Conservation Inc. and Texas A&M.
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