Tarsier Research Paper
The Tarsier is a very elusive creature because it lives in such a small area of the world. It has the largest eyes to body ratio of any primate. Because of the immense size of their eyes that do not swivel in their sockets and the tininess of their body, the tarsier looks like something out of a Hollywood extraterrestrial movie and is often described as “the littlest alien” (Tarsier: The Littlest Alien).
The tarsier inhabits the Philippine islands of Southeast Asia. These areas are covered in tropical rainforests and also allow the tarsier’s home, the balete tree to thrive. A large portion of these rainforests have been destroyed due to increased need for farming making the tarsier even more elusive. However, the tropical rainforest that remains …show more content…
The tarsier is the only completely carnivores primate, feasting on bugs and small lizards that inhabit the rainforest along with it. The tarsier tends to “[hunt] a meter or so above the ground” (Tarsier: The Littlest Alien). To adapt to being nocturnal and hunting at night the tarsier has developed an enhanced sense of hearing. The tarsier will cling to a branch using its unusually long tarsus bone, for which it is named after, along with its long and padded fingers. Then, it will wait and listen for the sound of a scurrying bug or lizard, leap towards it, and catch it with the same padded fingers it uses for climbing. The tarsier will use these same listening and leaping strategies to evade predators. Just like the tarsier has an unusual diet compared to other primates, it lives a very different social life than other primates.
The tarsier lives a very lonely and isolated life. While couples of tarsiers do exist they are very rare as most tarsiers live in solitary. The tarsier will come together with a mate once at any point in the year and then go back to its life of solitary hunting. “The tarsier have a gestation period of six months and produce one baby per pregnancy” (Communication). While the exact lifespan of a tarsier is not known they are thought to live for about 16
The tarsier inhabits the Philippine islands of Southeast Asia. These areas are covered in tropical rainforests and also allow the tarsier’s home, the balete tree to thrive. A large portion of these rainforests have been destroyed due to increased need for farming making the tarsier even more elusive. However, the tropical rainforest that remains …show more content…
The tarsier is the only completely carnivores primate, feasting on bugs and small lizards that inhabit the rainforest along with it. The tarsier tends to “[hunt] a meter or so above the ground” (Tarsier: The Littlest Alien). To adapt to being nocturnal and hunting at night the tarsier has developed an enhanced sense of hearing. The tarsier will cling to a branch using its unusually long tarsus bone, for which it is named after, along with its long and padded fingers. Then, it will wait and listen for the sound of a scurrying bug or lizard, leap towards it, and catch it with the same padded fingers it uses for climbing. The tarsier will use these same listening and leaping strategies to evade predators. Just like the tarsier has an unusual diet compared to other primates, it lives a very different social life than other primates.
The tarsier lives a very lonely and isolated life. While couples of tarsiers do exist they are very rare as most tarsiers live in solitary. The tarsier will come together with a mate once at any point in the year and then go back to its life of solitary hunting. “The tarsier have a gestation period of six months and produce one baby per pregnancy” (Communication). While the exact lifespan of a tarsier is not known they are thought to live for about 16