Philippine Tarsier

1 Philippine Tarsier Breed Overview

The Philippine Tarsier is one of the smallest monkeys still in existence, mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, so it is generally only seen locally. Because of its scarcity, it is an endangered species now under state protection.

The Philippine Tarsier is very vulnerable to habitat change. If its habitat is destroyed, its numbers decline. By inspection, counting, and inference from other markers, there should be only about 800 to 1200 tarsiers left in the forests of Sulawesi alone.

Chinese name: Philippine Tarsier

English name: Philippine Tarsier

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Subclass: Theria

Order: Primates

Suborder: Prosimii

Family: Tarsiidae

Distribution: Southern Sumatra and parts of the Philippine islands

It is a nocturnal animal, generally building its resting place in trees and living with other family members. The Philippine Tarsier is only the size of a human fist, with a long tail, looking at first glance like a mouse or squirrel. Also, it is the only primate in the world that does not eat plants, generally feeding on insects such as locusts, crickets, flies, and mosquitoes.

2 Philippine Tarsier Physical Characteristics

Philippine Tarsier (details)

The Philippine Tarsier is only the size of an adult human’s fist; its shape is very similar to a squirrel or mouse. The ideal adult body length is 85–160 mm, the ideal weight 80–165 g, and the tail is usually longer than the body.

The Philippine Tarsier is a very small primate. The back fur is soft, with a silvery sheen, gray; the belly fur is light gray. The head is round, the snout and neck short, the ear shell thin and hairless, the eyes very large, 16 mm in diameter. The forelimbs are short, the hind limbs long, and the toe tips have round suckers, letting it rest on many smooth surfaces. The face plate faces forward, the interorbital septum thin. The eyes are suited to night vision, with no cones in the retina. Except for the second and third toes, which have claws, all other fingers and toes have flat nails. The hind limbs are long; the tibia and fibula are fused, and the tarsus is especially long, hence the name tarsier. The tail is slender with much hair at the tip.

Each Philippine Tarsier eye weighs 3 g, heavier than its brain. They are very sensitive to danger and even keep one eye open while resting. By body proportion, the Philippine Tarsier wins several primate championships: largest eyes, largest ears, and longest tarsal bones.

3 Philippine Tarsier Living Environment

The Philippine Tarsier is found only in Southeast Asia. It is nocturnal, likes to build its resting place in trees, and does not like to live with humans, so keeping it as a pet is rather difficult.

The Philippine Tarsier does not suit the artificial captive environment of a zoo; most die within a few weeks of capture. Therefore, Indonesia and the international community have enacted laws protecting this small primate. But according to collected data, the Philippine Tarsier’s numbers are steadily declining.

Previously, the Philippine Tarsier had only natural enemies such as owls and snakes. But now, on Sulawesi, Indonesia, timber merchants recklessly fell trees for profit, destroying the habitat the tarsier depends on, and the heavy use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture is threatening its food sources, pushing the Philippine Tarsier toward extinction. The Philippine Tarsier is very vulnerable to habitat change; if its habitat is destroyed, its numbers decline.

4 Philippine Tarsier Care Tips

The Philippine Tarsier can live 15–20 years in the wild, but regrettably this monkey is not suited to home keeping; once used to a place’s land and water, it can never leave. If taken away it becomes extremely homesick; in the Philippines people have tried to move and raise them elsewhere, all ending in failure.

Wild Philippine Tarsiers are very shy and quite unaccustomed to dealing with people. Only a few raised in captivity do not mind such gentle, friendly contact. Besides sleeping and hugging branches in a daze, the Philippine Tarsier cares most about eating bugs.

The Philippine Tarsier clumsily inches along a branch slowly, but usually moves by jumping. When jumping, it suddenly straightens its long hind legs and leaps into the air, landing on another tree 2 m away. If necessary, it can turn mid-air.

The Philippine Tarsier is an arboreal animal of the dense tropical forests of Southeast Asia, living on some Philippine islands and southern Sumatra, Indonesia. As Philippine forests shrink, the tarsier loses suitable habitat and edges toward extinction. The Philippine Tarsier bears only one baby a year; with numbers already small, it has become an endangered animal.

The Philippine Tarsier can turn its head almost a full circle without moving its body, helping it spot prey and avoid enemies like owls and small cats. Highly adapted to jumping between trees, it can jump accurately over 3 m between trees, walk on all fours, hop or run on the ground with its hind limbs, and climb trees and slide down trunks; the disc-like toe pads act somewhat like suckers, aiding climbing. Mostly solitary, sometimes paired; each pair bears one offspring. The female carries for 6 months then gives birth, and the newborn can already grip its mother or hug a branch. The Philippine Tarsier has one litter per year.

The baby Philippine Tarsier is well developed at birth. It has thick fur and open eyes, and can crawl and grip its mother’s fur right away. If the mother must travel far, she carries the baby in her mouth.