(Tarsius various)
VITAL STATISTICS
Size: Body 8.5-16cm long, tail 13.5-27.5cm long, 80-165g.
Lifespan: 8-13.5 years.
Babies: One young born. Gestation 178 days (rather long for such a small creature), no specific breeding season, maturity at 1 year.
Distribution: Only in Southeast Asia including some Australian islands.
Habitat: Only in dense vegetation, usually in lowland rainforest, secondary forests and mangroves. But some like the Western tarsier can be found in cultivated lands and even gardens.
Classification: The 4 tarsier species in the genus Tarsius all differ in appearance: the spectral tarsier, Tarsius spectrum, has a scaly, tufted tail and a white spot behind each ear; the Philippine Tarsier, Tarsius syrichta, has a naked tail; the western tarsier, Tarsius bancanus, has a bushy tuft on the last quarter of its tail; and the pygmy tarsier, Tarsius pumilus has a buff-colored spot behind each of its ears.
Geographic Range: Palearctic, Oriental, Neotropical: Southern Sumatra, Borneo and the nearby islands of Bangka and Belitung to Indonesia and the Philippines
Physical Characteristics: Western tarsiers are best known for their enormous glowing eyes, which are approximately 16 mm in diameter. Their extremely long tails, which can reach 135-275m in length, are naked except for tufts of hair at the end. Their fingers are extremely long and have pads on their fingertips. All of the tarsiers' toes have flattened nails except for the second and third toes; these end with claw-like nails. Their membranous ears are slender and almost bare. Tarsiers' hair has a silky, velvety texture, and their coloration ranges from grayish brown to dark brown, to ocher, beige and sand-colored.
Food Habits: Tarsiers are mainly insectivorous, but they are known for their carnivorous habits, which include eating small animals like lizards, crustaceans, bats, and even scorpions and poisonous snakes. Tarsiers must have access to free water to drink.
Reproduction: Tarsiers reach sexual maturity at the age of one year. Their gestation period, which lasts approximately six months, is unusually long for such a tiny animal. Mating begins in October-December, and although breeding can happen year-round, it reaches its peak during the months of February-April, at the end of the rainy seasons. The estrous cycle lasts 18-27 days and includes a 1-3 day estrus. Tarsiers give birth to a single offspring that is born precocial, fully-furred and with opened eyes. Birth weight is approximately one fourth of the mother's weight, 20-31 grams. Babies are active on their first day of life and after 42 days they are ready to begin hunting. Shortly after this period they are weaned.
Behavior: The tarsier has many physical characteristics that aide in hunting. Tarsiers' huge eyes help this nocturnal animal see in the dark. The sensitive ears, superficially similar to those of bats, are in constant motion. Tarsiers use their heightened sense of hearing and smell to catch animals. They can turn their heads in almost a 360-degree angle, enabling them to see both predators and prey. Upon locating potential prey, tarsiers adjust their position and pounce on the unsuspecting animal. Their ears are so sensitive that they can detect prey by hearing alone, and they often close their eyes before and during the catching of their prey. Once caught by the elongated hands of the tarsier, the prey is bitten several times on the head and carried to a perch where it is eaten head first. Hunting occurs at night, after the tarsier has spent the entire day sleeping in dense vegetation or in hollow trees. Their favorite position to sleep is upright against a tree trunk or branch, using their tails for support. Tarsiers sleep in different places in their territory daily, and arise from slumber at sundown or during early evening, when insects are most active. Their offspring, which they sometimes carry in their mouths, are usually left in deep vegetation while the mother hunts. Tarsiers keep in constant contact with their offspring through high-pitched calls, yells and noises. Tarsiers' eyes, which can weigh more than their brains, are essential in their capture of their prey. Tarsiers have excellent night vision. Also, their ears are very sensitive, and they can hear long distances. Upon detecting predators, the tarsier closes its eyes the predator is almost directly on top of it. At this point, it opens its huge eyes and bares its sharp teeth in an effort to scare off the predator.
Tarsiers are known for their extraordinary leaping abilities. On average they can leap 2m in distance and up to 1.5m in height. During the course of a leap, they twist their bodies in the air as they extend their fingers to grasp a branch. Tarsiers' long tails are used for support and balance during the leap and afterword. Their long fingers give them the ability to grasp almost any surface. Tarsiers' leaping abilities are correlated with their unique hind leg structure. Their forelegs are shorter than the exceedingly long hind limbs, and in fact, their name, tarsier, means elongated ankle area. Tarsiers leap with their tail head upwards. Tarsiers can also walk on all fours. When doing this, they prefer to keep their tails pointed downward.
When female tarsiers are ready to mate, they emit high-pitched sounds to available suitors. These sounds have a characteristic pitch. During courting, partners often chase each other while making distinctive soft sounds. But when mating begins, they maintain complete silence. The tarsier also has a very close-knit family. A group consists of a mother, father and offspring. Parents form a very close bond, and their offspring stays in close proximity even dispersal and sexual maturity. Females leave the immediate family group when they reach adulthood, while males prefer to leave as juveniles.
Tarsiers are territorial; males mark their area, which is approximately 1 hectare, with urine on branches or with a special secretion from their epigastic gland. Tarsiers are extremely vocal and make loud shrieks with their partners. In fact, they call in harmony, with each partner making its own distinct sounds. They use their third and fourth toes to groom themselves by scratching with their toe claws and licking their fur, avoiding their faces. Faces are cleaned by rubbing on branches. Tarsiers prefer to groom themselves except during mating season, when they groom each other.
Habitat: Dense strands of bamboo, jungles, coastal forests, dense vegation, primary and secondary rain forests, shrubs, plantations and even in some settlements and gardens.
Biomes: tropical deciduous forest, tropical scrub forest
