Tiny, long-lost primate rediscovered in Indonesia
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On a misty mountaintop on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists for the first time in more than eight decades have observed a living pygmy tarsier, one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates.Over a two-month period, the scientists used nets to trap three furry, mouse-sized pygmy tarsiers -- two males and one female -- on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the researchers said on Tuesday.
They spotted a fourth one that got away.
The tarsiers, which some scientists believed were extinct, may not have been overly thrilled to be found. One of them chomped Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a Texas A&M University professor of anthropology who took part in the expedition.
"I'm the only person in the world to ever be bitten by a pygmy tarsier," Gursky-Doyen said in a telephone interview.
"My assistant was trying to hold him still while I was attaching a radio collar around its neck. It's very hard to hold them because they can turn their heads around 180 degrees. As I'm trying to close the radio collar, he turned his head and nipped my finger. And I yanked it and I was bleeding."
The collars were being attached so the tarsiers' movements could be tracked.
Tarsiers are unusual primates -- the mammalian group that includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and people. The handful of tarsier species live on various Asian islands.
As their name indicates, pygmy tarsiers are small -- weighing about 2 ounces (50 grammes). They have large eyes and large ears, and they have been described as looking a bit like one of the creatures in the 1984 Hollywood movie "Gremlins."
They are nocturnal insectivores and are unusual among primates in that they have claws rather than finger nails.
They had not been seen alive by scientists since 1921. In 2000, Indonesian scientists who were trapping rats in the Sulawesi highlands accidentally trapped and killed a pygmy tarsier.
"Until that time, everyone really didn't believe that they existed because people had been going out looking for them for decades and nobody had seen them or heard them," Gursky-Doyen said.
Her group observed the first live pygmy tarsier in August at an elevation of about 6,900 feet.
"Everything was covered in moss and the clouds are right at the top of that mountain. It's always very, very foggy, very, very dense. It's cold up there. When you're one degree from the equator, you expect to be hot. You don't expect to be shivering most of the time. That's what we were doing," she said.
Mickey Mouse Turns 80!
Disney's most popular character is celebrating a birthday today. No, its not Miley Cyrus. It's Mickey Mouse himself!
Mickey got his start in life after his creator, Walt Disney, got screwed over by Universal Pictures. In 1928, Disney was heading up Disney Brothers Studio for Universal and riding high with his wildly popular character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Rather than reward Disney for his success, Universal stole his character, hired away his employees and offered to let him stick around at a reduced salary. That was an offer Disney could - and did - refuse.
Walt Disney and his loyal animator Ub Iwerks went back to the drawing board, transforming Oswald the Rabbit into a mouse. Mickey, briefly known as Mortimer, struggled through a few animated bombs before finally getting his big break on November 18, 1928. On that date in New York City, Steamboat Willie premiered to rave reviews. The first animation to feature synchronized music and sound effects, the film made Mickey Mouse a star.
With Mickey's popularity spreading across the country, Walt Disney kicked the marketing into high gear. Mickey Mouse merchandise was created and within two years, the lovable rodent had his own fan club - The Mickey Mouse Club. Take that, Universal Pictures!
Over the years, Mickey has undergone numerous makeovers but his appeal remains constant. He has transcended his humble beginnings to become a cultural icon recognized and loved around the world. And unlike many other Disney stars, Mickey never succumbed to the temptations of fame and remains to this day an appropriate object of affection for children everywhere. Happy Birthday, Mickey!
Do u know what types image is?
A model presents a creation for a colorful cosmetic design contest at China Fashion Week in Beijing November 2008.(CHINA)
Presidencial Children
In this undated file photo, President Abraham Lincoln poses with his son Tad. As a youngster in the White House, Tad once hitched two goats to a chair and drove it into a sitting room where his unamused mother was giving a tour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)