katarabhumi
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Greetings All...
This thread is where we share every (positive) news and information about Indonesia. Everything that is NOT (or loosely related to) military and economic/business matters, everything from culture, sport, food, technology, social, tourism, entertainment, etc. You know, the general stuff.
I hereby implore my Indonesian brothers and sister(s) to contribute.
@pr1v4t33r , @madokafc , @MarveL , @Reashot Xigwin , @nufix , @anas_nurhafidz , @CountStrike , @papacita , @Svantana , @skyhigh88 , @Bungaterakhir , @Robin Wong , @NKRI , @Bennedict , @Bhayangkara , @Krakatau Class , @kaka404 , @striver44 , @GraveDigger388 , @mengkom , @patu , et al.
Non Indonesian members are welcome too
*) For Images of Indonesia see > https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/images-of-indonesia.186249/
Ok, let's start ...
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Another real-life 'Yoda' discovered in Indonesia
Doyle Rice - USA Today - May 4, 2017
Two new species of tarsiers — small primates who may have inspired the character Yoda from Star Wars — have been discovered in Indonesia, scientists announced in a new study published Thursday.
Tarsiers, noted for their enormous eyes, are found only on several islands of Southeast Asia. The new species live on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which is rich in animals that live nowhere else on Earth.
The two new species, described in an article published in the journal Primate Conservation today, were found on the northern peninsula of Sulawesi, an Indonesian island. With these new members of the tarsier family, there are now 11 species known to reside on Sulawesi and nearby islands.
The species were given the names Tarsius spectrumgurskyae and Tarsius supriatnai in honor of two scientists who have played central roles in conservation efforts in Indonesia — you might even say they are something like Jedi Masters of Indonesian conservation. Dr. Sharon Gursky, a professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University in the United States, has studied her namesake species in Sulawesi’s Tangkoko National Park for a quarter century and is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on tarsier behavior. And Dr. Jatna Supriatna, a professor of biology at the University of Indonesia, has sponsored much conservation science research in Indonesia and served as director of Conservation International’s operations in the country for 15 years.
"The discovery of these species is expected to help conserve the critically important regions in which they are found," said tarsier expert and study lead author Myron Shekelle of Western Washington University.
In fact, Indonesia is the third-richest country on Earth in terms of primate diversity, exceeded only by Brazil and Madagascar, according to study co-author Russ Mittermeier of Conservation International. Indonesia now has two more species to add to its already very impressive primate list, he added.
While these two species may look similar to each other, as well as other tarsiers, they have been identified as separate species by the sounds they make as well as other genetic data, Shekelle said.
"To me the story is that scientists are in a race against time to identify and conserve the species-rich biodiversity on the world’s most geologically complex island, an island that is far larger and many times as species rich when compared with the much better known Galapagos Islands," Shekelle said.
Mittermeier said that “these two new species of tarsier from Sulawesi are the 80th and 81st primates new to science described since the turn of the century. This represents about 16% of all primate species, and is indicative of how little we know of our planet’s unique and wonderful biodiversity."
Overall, the majority of tarsier species are now endangered or threatened, and some are designated critically endangered, according to Endangered Species International.
Some fun facts about tarsiers: They have the largest eyes (relative to their body size) of any mammal; their eyes are about the same size as their brain; a typical adult male weighs about 4 ounces, or about the same as a stick of butter; and, like owls, tarsiers can turn their heads more than 180 degrees in either direction.
The announcement comes just in time for "May the Fourth be with you Day," a favorite for Star Wars fans. A group of primatologists has also designated May 4 as International Tarsier Day.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2017/05/04/tarsiers-yoda-indonesia/101247696/
https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/t...piration-for-yoda-announced-on-star-wars-day/
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