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Long-Lost 'Furby' Species Found

Tiny primate thought extinct found alive and well in Indonesian mountaintop forest

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 20, 2008 4:21 AM CST

(Newser) – Scientists on a remote Indonesian mountaintop have discovered a pocket-sized primate not seen alive since the 1920s, CNN reports. The giant-eyed, two-ounce pygmy tarsier had been thought extinct until one was found dead in a rat trap, inspiring a professor from Texas A&M University to lead an expedition to Sulawesi. She was delighted to find the Furby-like creatures still living in the island cloud forest.

"They exist. Oh my God, they exist. They're real," the professor said. Three of the nocturnal creatures were tagged and released into the wild. The professor hopes the findings will persuade the Indonesian government to put the brakes on human encroachment into the tarsiers' habitat.

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The pygmy tarsier weighs less than 2 ounces. Unlike related species, it has fingers with claws instead of nails, allowing it to get a firm hold on mossy trees in its wet cloudforest home. (Texas A&M)

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Scientists spot a pygmy tarsier in the Indonesian jungle. (AggiesTalk)

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Long-Lost 'Furby' Species Found