The tarsier is one of the smallest surviving monkeys in the world. It is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, so it can only be seen locally. The monkey, due to its rarity, is an endangered species and is now under state protection.

The tarsier is very vulnerable to habitat change. If habitat is destroyed, their numbers will decrease. By inspection and calculation and extrapolation of other markers, there should be only about 800 to 1,200 tarsiers left in the forests of Sulawesi.

Chinese name: Tarsier

English name: Philippine tarsier

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordate 

Subphylum: Chordate

Class: Animals

Subclass: Metatheria

Order: Primates

Suborder: Prosimian

Family: Tarsier

Distribution: Southern Sumatra and some islands in the Philippines

Nocturnal animals , usually build habitats in trees and live with other family members. The tarsier is only about the size of a human fist and has a long tail. At first glance, it looks like a mouse or Squirrel about the same. In addition, tarsiers are the only primates in the world that do not eat plants, generally feeding on insects such as locusts, crickets (details), flies and mosquitoes.

The size of the tarsier is only the size of an adult's fist, and its appearance is similar to Squirrels are very similar to mice, and an ideal adult tarsier should be 85-160mm in length In between, the ideal weight should be between 80-165g, and the tail length usually exceeds the body length.

The tarsier is a very small primate. The back hair is soft and grey with a silver sheen, and the belly is light grey. The head is round, the snout and neck are short, the ear shells are thin and hairless, and the eyes are very large, up to 16 mm in diameter. The forelimbs are short, the hindlimbs are long, and the toes have rounded suction cups that can stay on many smooth surfaces. The face is forward, and the orbital septum is thin. The eye is adapted for night vision, and the retina has no cones. Except for the claws on the second and third toes, all other fingers and toes have flat nails. The hind limbs are long, the embryonic bone and the sacrum are fused, and the appendage is special, so it is called the monkey. The tail is slender and hairy at the end.

Each eye of a tarsier weighs 3 grams, which is heavier than its brain. They are very sensitive to danger and even keep one eye open when at rest. In proportion to the body, the tarsier is crowned champion among primates: the largest eyes, the largest ears, and the longest phalanges.

Habitat

The tarsier is tropical in Southeast Asia and arboreal animals in dense subtropical forests, prefer to live in dense secondary forests and thickets, and are also distributed in primary forests.

Reproduction process

Females have 2 to 3 pairs of nipples, the gestation period is about 180 days, and each litter produces 1 cub. The cubs are only 6 cm long after birth, they are covered with fluff and their eyes are open.

Survival Skills

The tarsier can turn its head almost a full circle without moving its body. This helps it spot prey and avoid enemies like owls and kittens. It has the ability to be highly adapted to jumping on trees. It can jump between trees with a distance of more than 3 meters. It can walk on all fours, jump or run on the ground with its hind limbs, climb trees, and slide down the trunk. The disc-shaped finger pads have the function of suction cups, which is conducive to climbing. Often solitary, sometimes in pairs, each pair produces one offspring. Female monkeys give birth at 6 months of gestation, and cubs can grab their mothers or cling to branches as soon as they are born. Tarsier monkeys have one child per year.

The tarsier lurches clumsily along tree branches, but usually they do so by jumping. When jumping, they suddenly straightened their long hind legs and jumped into the air, and then landed on another tree 2 meters away from themselves. It can also turn halfway through if necessary.

Baby tarsiers are born well-developed. They have thick fur and open eyes, and are born with the ability to crawl and grab onto their mother's fur. If the mother monkey has to go a long way, she will carry the cub in her mouth.

The   tarsier can live for 15-20 years in the wild. It is a pity that this kind of Monkeys are not suitable for keeping at home. When it is used to this soil and water, it will be inseparable for life. If you leave it, you will be very fond of your hometown. In the Philippines, people have tried to bring it to other places to feed, but they have failed.

Tarsers in the wild are very shy and rather unaccustomed to dealing with people. Only a few tarsiers raised in captivity don't mind this gentle and friendly touch. In addition to sleeping and holding branches in a daze, the tarsier is most concerned about eating insects.

The tarsier lurches clumsily along tree branches, but usually they do so by jumping. When jumping, they suddenly straightened their long hind legs and jumped into the air, and then landed on another tree 2m away from themselves. It can also turn halfway through if necessary.

The tarsier is an arboreal animal in the tropical dense forests of Southeast Asia, living on some islands in the Philippines and southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The tarsier is on the verge of extinction as forests in the Philippines are dwindling, depriving it of a suitable habitat. The tarsier can only give birth to one baby a year, and it has become an endangered species due to its small number.

The tarsier can turn its head almost a full circle without moving its body. This helps it spot prey and avoid enemies like owls and kittens. It has the ability to be highly adapted to jumping on trees, and can jump between trees very accurately over a distance of 3m. It can walk on all fours, jump or run on the ground with its hind limbs, climb trees, and slide down from tree trunks. The shaped finger pads have the function of suction cups, which is conducive to climbing. Often solitary, sometimes in pairs, each pair produces one offspring. Female monkeys give birth at 6 months of gestation, and cubs can grab their mothers or cling to branches as soon as they are born. Tarsier monkeys have one child per year.

Baby tarsiers are born well-developed. They have thick fur and open eyes, and are born with the ability to crawl and grab onto their mother's fur. If the mother monkey has to go a long way, she will carry the cub in her mouth.