Live "Furby" Found in Indonesia

November 20, 2008

Do you remember Furby? Back in the 1990's, Furbies were all the rage around Christmas time. These gremlin-looking creatures spoke "Furbish," but could be programmed to say some English words. Here's a reminder:

As it turns out, there's an animal that looks just like the fictional Furby living right now in the highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Anthropologist Sharon Gursky-Doyen of Texas A&M University and her team found three of these mouse-sized nocturnal primates, called pygmy tarsiers. Previously, they were thought to be extinct.
(Images: Texas A&M University)

Pygmy tarsiers possess fingers with claws instead of nails. Nearly all other primates, including us humans, have nails.

Their little claws may have evolved to help them scale mossy trees. They live 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level in a moist, mountainous terrain. The researchers had to fight off hypothermia and forever struggled to stay upright in the slippery environment.

Here's a short, silent film showing extremely rare footage of this tiny night prowler. Conservationists hope that the Indonesian goverment will take steps to protect the pygmy tarsier. This latest study was funded by the National Geographic Society, Conservation International Primate Action Fund, Primate Conservation Incorporated and Texas A&M University. 

Comments

[Drew]

Awesome! Furby's are so cool!
I wanna have 1 as a pet =P

[Jen Viegas]

I just heard that pygmy tarsiers can turn their head 180 degrees. The researchers found that out the hard way when one of the mini primates swung its head around to bite as the scientists were trying to put a tiny radio tracking collar on it. Cute and furry, but feisty!
Thanks for checking in, Drew.

[Alex]

I doubt she's an anthropologist... they study culture and society. Of humans. Not primates (at least not living ones -- forensic anthropologists may study humanoid remains from Neanderthals and Australopithecines).

I think you mean zoologist.

[Jen Viegas]

Hi Alex,
While your comment is understandable, Gursky-Doyen is indeed an anthropologist. More specifically, she's a physical anthropologist. Her specialty, however, is the behavioral ecology and conservation of non-human primates. Hard to believe that this little critter is a primate.

[Matt]

You mean Mogwai, not Gremlin. A Mogwai becomes a Gremlin if it eats after midnight.

[How cute]

Nice find. Thanks for pointing it out

[Audralyn =)]

hey thats one sweeet find! i bet if we look more in indonesia we'd find alot more unknow species.

[Jen Viegas]

You make a very important point, Audralyn. Scientists suspect that other, as-of-yet unknown primate species may be discovered in Indonesia. The challenge is to find them before they go extinct.

[Beverly]

Tarsiers are indeed primates...the cutest primates ever! The entire Tarsiidae family is a total "AWWWW" fest! :)

[Heather]

aaawww!! they're so ugly that they're cute! =P

[nux]

these are tourist attractions in the island of Bohol in the Philippines for years... i don't think they were ever extinct...unless man keeps holding them because they get stressed out when they're held or taken with flash photography because they are nocturnal creatures...and those eyes are for seeing in the dark...try setting off a flash when the lights are out...ouch!!!

[Jennifer Viegas]

You make some valid points, nux, but remember that such research helps to identify animals and regions for conservation. Any short-term flash stress should be mitigated by longer term protections for the species. At least I hope so.

[Caylee4ever]

WTH? This OBJECT is NOT a furby! Resemblence:NONE! Furbies are cute, FURRY, and have colored bellies. If there is a resemblence at all please people, post it!