Mammals of the WorldPygmy Tarsier
Tarsius pumilus
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Tarsiidae
- Genus
- Tarsius
- IUCN status
- EN
- Distribution
- Indonesia
- Realm
- Australasia
Other names: Lesser Spectral Tarsier|Mountain Tarsier|Sulawesi Mountain Tarsier
About this species
The pygmy tarsier was believed to have become extinct in the early 20th century. Then, in 2000, Indonesian scientists accidentally killed one while trapping rats. Sharon Gursky and Ph.D. student Nanda Grow from Texas A&M University on Mount Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in August 2008. The two males and single female (a fourth escaped) were captured using nets, and were radio collared to track their movements. (Wikipedia, general species account).
The pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus), also known as the mountain tarsier or the lesser spectral tarsier, is a nocturnal primate found in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in an area with lower vegetative species diversity than the lowland tropical forests. The first pygmy tarsiers seen alive since the 1920s were found by a research team led by Dr. Unlike other nocturnal species, tarsiers lack a tapetum lucidum due to the diurnal evolutionary history of primates. (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)