Natural Environment Blog

The pygmy tarsier, a cute little primate that resembles a miniature furby, has been rediscovered after almost 80 years. Photo: Sharon Gursky-Doyen/Texas A&M University.

Scientists have discovered three specimens of a tiny primate believed by some to be extinct.

The pocket-sized creature, which has a scientific name of Tarsius pumilus, is commonly known as the Pygmy Tarsier, Mountain Tarsier, Lesser Spectral Tarsier, and Sulawesi Mountain Tarsier. 

Until recently, some scientists believed that the pygmy tarsier was extinct, as no live specimen had  been seen since 1930. In 2000, two Indonesian scientists trapped and accidentally killed a pygmy tarsier on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

That incident prompted a new search for the furby-like creatures, which resulted in the recent find - two males and one female.

The research team promptly placed radio collars on the animals for tracking. Unfortunately, since then, the female tarsier has been eaten by a hawk.

Pygmy tarsiers are known for their uncanny ability to turn their head 180 degrees. This made the research team’s more difficult when it came to placing the radio collars on the animals.

“I have the dubious honor of being the only person in the world to have been bitten by [a pygmy tarsier],” said  Sharon Gursky-Doyen of Texas A&M University. 

“My field assistant was holding the tarsier and I was attaching a radio collar around its neck and while I was attaching the radio collar he bit me [on the finger].”

The research was funded by National Geographic Society, Conservation International Primate Action Fund, Primate Conservation Incorporated and Texas A&M University.

Previously, only two live specimens of pygmy tarsier have ever been found. Photo: Sharon Gursky-Doyen/Texas A&M University.

Not much is known about pygmy tarsiers. In fact, the pygmy tarsier is among the least known primates in existence. 

Apart from this recent discovery, only three other specimens have ever been found (only two live specimens). The first live specimen was found in 1916 and the second in 1930. All three specimens are currently in museums.

A rare species of deer has been seen for the first time since 1930 in a national park in Sumatra, Indonesia. 

The deer was actually seen and photographed in 2002, but it wasn’t until now that it has been properly identified.

The deer is a Sumatran muntjac, which was first discovered in 1914. 

The reason it took so long to identify it is because, it was initially identified as a red muntjac - a less endangered species. Experts now believe that it’s the rarer, Sumatran muntjac, because it is much smaller and darker.

“When I saw the photos, I immediately recognized montanus. Its colouration and antlers are both significantly different from its sister species, the red muntjac” said Colin Groves, the taxonomist who identified the deer.

When it was photographed in 2002, the deer had fallen into a hunter’s snare in the Kerinci-Seblat National Park mountains.

At 1.4 million hectares, the Kerinci-Seblat National Park is the largest protected area in Sumatra.  It is also a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site.

“This encounter shows just how much we still have to discover about Sumatra’s rainforests and the biodiversity of Kerinci-Seblat National Park. Yet even as we are learning, the tropical rainforests of Sumatra - even in the mountains and national parks - are under threat. We face losing species we didn’t even know existed,” said Debbie Martyr, FFI Kerinci-Seblat Programme Manager. “We are also concerned that climate change poses a significant threat to this species – they are a mountain dwelling animal and depend entirely on a montane forest habitat. Where can they go if global temperatures rise significantly?”

The Director of the Kerinci-Seblat National Park Authority says “I hope that we can all work together – communities, local government and the national and international scientific and conservation community – to study and conserve this new species of deer for the future”.

He continues, “One of the functions of a national park is to increase knowledge: This discovery shows the importance of further research into the hill and montane rainforests of Sumatra. I strongly suspect that more new species remain to be identified in the forests of Kerinci-Seblat National Park”

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has announced that the polar bear will now be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The listing is based on scientific findings that the loss of sea ice is threatening, and will continue to threaten the survival of the polar bear. Studies last year by the U.S. Geological Survey found that as many as 15,000 polar bears could be lost in the coming decades. Given there are only 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide, this is a huge problem.

The big question appears to be; “When will the lawsuits begin?”.

Adding the polar bear to the endangered species list has a number of repercussions, particularly for the oil companies. About 15 percent of the U.S. oil supplies is produced in Alaska (where polar bears reside).

According to this article, Marilyn Crockett, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association said:

We now have a species threatened which is both healthy in size and population; the real risk is litigation that will follow,

She goes on to say…

Lawsuits will continue to be filed opposing individual operations, lease sales and permits, and that could have a significant impact on business up here

The Alaska Oil and Gas Association represents 17 oil and gas companies, as well as the owners of a trans-Alaskan pipeline.

Environmental groups aren’t happy either. The problem here is in the wording used in the announcement. The Department of Interior was quite clearly pointed out that this decision is not intended to regulate climate change.

Another big question is; “How accurate is the scientific data?”. Because the polar bear population has actually increased from about 5,000 to 12,000 in the 1960s (depending on who you believe), some people suggest that the Department of Interior’s decision is absurd.

Either way, if this ruling helps prevent the polar bear from becoming extinct, that’s got to be a good thing.