More tarsiers are always welcome.
“International biologists have confirmed the discovery of a new species of Tarsier on the island of Dinagat in Mindanao 25 years after a Filipino biologist first saw the possibility of there being a distinct species,” reports Matikas Santos on Inquirer.net.
The report noted: “Rafe Brown, curator-in-charge at the University of Kansas’ Biodiversity Institute said in a statement published on their website that the distinct Dinagat-Caraga tarsier was found to be a different species through DNA testing conducted by Kansas University biologists.”
The report said that their findings actually “just confirmed a previous study done by Filipino Biologist Dioscoro Rabor in the 1970s.”
Brown explained, “The confirmation of Rabor’s early suspicions about the Dinagat Island tarsier population was extremely exciting, and it was very satisfying to affirm his very perceptive early observations. He commented that it looked larger to him and had different shaped fingers and toes. I’m just glad we were able to bring new, modern tools to this problem and identify the Dinagat-Caraga tarsier as a real conservation priority.”
Prior to the discovery of the other tarsier species, the tarsiers of Bohol have become popular tourist attractions.
Screengrab from the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute website
