The Gremlins of Sulawesi
Thursday, November 6, 2008
It is hushed along the black sand beach of Tangkoko forest. The light from the quartern moon oozes through the thick rainforest canopy throwing moonbeams across the forest floor. Two high-pitched squeaks emanate somewhere within a fig tree, and a tiny tennis-ball sized tarsier comes out from the tree hole. All of a sudden, he flies through the air with its long tail trailing behind, cuts across moon rays and lands on a gecko. It stumps on the gecko's tail and while seizing its neck with its right hand, with a quick jerk of the hand, the gecko's neck is cracked, and dinner is served.Their owl-like eyes, mobile ears, haunting songs, and nighttime habits reenforce the tarsier's image as gremlins. These gremlins of the forest are found throughout Asia. But the species found in Sulawesi, T. dianae, T. spectrum, T. pelengensis, T. pumilus, and T. sangirensis are witnessed only in Sulawesi. Sulawesi is a paradise for evolutionary scientists and wildlife enthusiasts. Sulawesi is an evolutionary mongrel bringing together plants and animals from adjacent biological regions, Asia which includes Borneo and Australasia which includes Irian Jaya. As a result of this mix and a long period of reclusiveness, Sulawesi has created an enormous amount of evolutionary originals.
Tarsiers are often found in forest understorey where they hunt for insects and small reptiles. They perch about a meter off the forest floor and scan the ground for prey, and jump incredible lengths. This jumping ability comes from the extension of their tarsal (ankle) region and fusion of the two lower leg bones, hence the name tarsius. They can turn their head a full 180 degrees; so that they can leap rearwards without running flat into a tree trunk. Often found in a family unit, a mother, father, and infant, the mother and father hunt for food while leaving the infant in the tree nest. Once hunting jobs are finished and the day breaks, the family reunite for daytime slumber. Although they do not need large forest areas, they face threats common to all tropical rainforest animals. Their populations are negatively affected by habitat loss and disturbance, and capture for merchandise.
Posted byParvez Ahmed at 7:30 PM
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