Friday, November 21, 2008

Back from Extinction


They say that no news is good news, but after 80 years most people would think you to be long gone or in the case of the pygmy tarsier, extinct. However, in a good news story for Indonesia, the pygmy tarsier has been rediscovered. The pygmy tarsier is an insect eating primate and as it name suggests, it is little and weighs in at a mere 50 grams. Do not let this deceive you though as it is said to pack quite a bite.

The pygmy tarsier has been trapped and tagged for the first time in more than eighty years. One was trapped and killed back in 2000 by Indonesian scientists doing a study on rats. This unfortunate death of a previously considered extinct animal lead to a ratcheting up of attempts to find live pygmy tarsiers. This culminated in 3 of the little ones being located in Sulawesi on Mt. Rore Katimbo at an elevation of almost 7,000ft. There was a fourth one but he or she was way too clever for the pursuing scientists and managed to get away.

Now that they have been tagged hopefully their movements can be tracked and the pygmy tarsiers saved from extinction.

Source

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