The tiny Furby-like pygmy tarsier, presumed to be extinct, was found during a recent expedition to Indonesia. And the cuddly, huge-eyed nocturnal critter is the very definition of cute.
“They always look like they have a perpetual smile on their face, which adds to the attraction,” says physical anthropologist Sharon Gursky-Doyen, who found the presumed lost species.
Gursky-Doyen of Texas A&M University traveled into the mountains of Sulawesi Island in Indonesia to confirm that the pygmy tarsier was unequivocally extinct, but ended up becoming the first person in more than 80 years to spot a live one.
Many scientific teams had previously tried but failed to find the two-ounce (60-gram) primate, which has long spindly fingers, dines on insects and can rotate its head 180 degrees like an owl. “I honestly didn’t have a lot of faith,” Gursky-Doyen told ScientificAmerican.com, “I had very low expectations of actually finding them.”
But then she did. “It was very, very euphoric, but I was shaking like a leaf,” she says about her surprising discovery. “I was shaking so much that I could barely handle him.”
Over the course of two months, her team captured two more and spotted a fourth. They snapped radio collars on the fuzzy creatures to track them.
Gursky-Doyen explains that finding the pygmy tarsier means that other animals on the island may have smaller ranges than previously believed, making them more vulnerable to extinction.
Pygmy tarsiers are about half the size of other species and sport claws on their hands and feet instead of nails. Gursky-Doyen speculates that their claws may be an evolutionary adaptation to help them grasp the moss-covered trees of their damp environment.
Source: http://www.sciam.com/
November 21st, 2008
Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) is reviving the annual Tour de Indonesia after a hiatus last year with more challenging runs promised for the event starting this Sunday.
Around 90 riders from eight international teams and eight local teams have confirmed participation in the race and will battle it out for a total US$100,000 in prize money.
According to event director Sofian Ruzian, the Tour de Indonesia would challenge riders with more demanding routes.
“The riders will go through stages with steeper slopes, such as the hilly Alas Roban and Gombel region in Central Java, and Kintamani in Bali,” Sofian said at a media conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.
“But riders need not worry about safety, as we have coordinated with the National Police, provincial police and district police along the way,” he said. All participating teams and media personnel will receive personal insurance worth Rp 50 million.
The organizers have planned to use an “open-close” arrangement for the traffic.
“The road conditions won’t allow us to use closed-routes like the meets in Europe.”
The race, running from Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, stretches 1,726 kilometers from Jakarta to Bali and is split into 12 stages.
The international teams include Jazy Sports-Beacon of the Philippines, the Japanese National Team, Jajo Spirit of Sport VC Franches Montagnes of Switzerland, Tinelli Collosi of Australia/New Zealand, the Malaysian National Team, Kuala Lumpur Cycling Association of Malaysia, Polygon Sweet Nice Team of Indonesia, Mes Kerman and Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team of Iran.
Indonesia has eight teams competing, including the favorite Dodol Picnic Garut which will field the country’s best rider Tonton Susanto.
Sofian said he expected Tonton to lead on the steeper tracks. Tonton took the green jersey during the 2006 Tour de Indonesia and the silver medal at the recent National Games in East Kalimantan
“I’m confident he can end up King of Mountain,” said the ISSI chief deputy.
After losing sponsors Dji Sam Soe, the race has obtained financial support from Telkom, which backs up to 70 percent of the total sponsorship.
“This sponsorship shows we care about the sport and support Indonesia’s tourism campaign,” Vice deputy of public and marketing communication of PT Telkom Eddy Kurnia said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
November 21st, 2008