Tarsiers
Fast Facts
• Genus Tarsius, 9 species
• Longest continuous fossil record of any primate genus 45 million years
• Small animals with enormous eyes
• Related to Lemurs
Description
• The head and body range from 4 to 6 inches in length
• Each eyeball is over half an inch in diameter and as large as their entire brain
• Their feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, from which the animals get their name.
• The hind limbs and fingers are elongated • Tarsiers have very soft, velvety fur,
which is generally buff or beige in color
• Found in the islands of Southeast Asia
Feeding
• Nocturnal• Only entirely
carnivorous primate on Earth
• Primarily insectivorous
Reproduction
• Gestation takes about six months and tarsiers give birth to single offspring
• Young tarsiers are born furred, and with open eyes, and are able to climb within a day of birth
• They reach sexual maturity by the end of their second year
Conservation
• Tarsiers have never formed successful breeding colonies in captivity, and when caged, tarsiers have been known to injure and even kill themselves because of the stress.
• One site having some success at restoring tarsier populations is in the Philippine Island of Bohol. The Philippine Tarsier Foundation has developed a large semi-wild enclosure that uses lights to attract the nocturnal insects that make up the tarsier's diet
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSZhcXxgaAI