Nocturnal predator tarsier habitat. Philippine tarsier, who is he? Types of tarsier and their habitat

Tarsiers, or Tarsius, are a genus of primates that is subdivided into at least 3 species. Formerly they were assigned to the prosimian suborder, which is now considered obsolete; at present they are considered one of the families of dry-nosed monkeys (highly developed monkeys and humans also belong to it).

The smallest primates got their name for very long ankles - “heels” - on their hind limbs.

The opinions of scientists about the number of species of tarsiers are divided - some believe that there are three such species, while others believe that there are eight. In total, 11 varieties of tarsiers are known, among them - western tarsier, eastern tarsier, Philippine tarsier, pygmy tarsier and diana tarsier.

Tarsiers make a great impression on tourists. It is difficult to realize that there is an animal on earth whose head is capable of turning 180 and even almost 360 degrees. There is something mystical, unreal in this.

Classification of tarsiers.

In the 18th century, the Philippine tarsier was first described. He was described by Catholic missionaries and called a tiny monkey. Later, Carl Linnaeus discovered that the tarsier was different from monkeys and renamed it the Sirichta monkey.

And even later, this name was supplemented by a generic name and turned into the tarsiers of the siriht. So the Philippine tarsier is called to this day.

The islanders have many of their own names for tarsier, the most common of them is maomag or mago.

Curiously, tarsiers have features of both lemurs (semi-primates) and true monkeys. In fact, they are a transitional link from lemurs to real monkeys.

They are related to lemurs by the weak development of both hemispheres of the brain (they do not cover the cerebellum) and the claws on the second toes of the hind legs, and with monkeys - eye sockets separated by a bony septum from the temples and a rounded skull.

But some signs (the structure of the intestines or teeth) are not characteristic at all modern primates, which indirectly indicates more ancient origin tarsiers.

It seems that tarsiers have never been lemurs, but they may well be conventionally called monkeys. Such are the peculiar animals that break the usual classification of animals.

There is also a very curious hypothesis put forward in 1916 by Professor Frederick Wood Jones. According to this hypothesis, man descended from ancient tarsiers, and not from great apes as has been assumed until now. Here are the main points of the hypothesis:

· When moving along a horizontal surface, tarsiers hold the body vertically - this could become the basis of a person's upright posture.

· The body proportions of humans and tarsiers are similar - their arms are shorter than their legs, while the opposite is true for great apes.

· The direction of hair growth of tarsiers and humans is also similar, which cannot be said about great apes.

The facial region of the skull is shortened

The structure of the clavicles and some muscles are very similar in tarsiers and humans.

So tarsier may well be our ancestor.

Habitat of tarsiers.

The ancestors of tarsier existed as early as the Eocene in North America and Eurasia, it is one of the most ancient animal species in the Philippines, having existed for at least 45 million years.

Now their habitat has been significantly reduced and reduced to just a few islands.

Mostly tarsiers are island dwellers. South-East Asia, they can be found on the islands of Sulawesi, Sumatra, Borneo and other islands close to them.

Description of the appearance of the tarsier.

Tarsiers are quite small animals, up to a maximum of 16 cm in height. Long hairless, with sparse hairs, the tail varies in length from 13 to 28 cm and ends with a fluffy tassel. The mass of an average animal is from 80 to 160 g.

Males are larger than females, weighing an average of 134g, while females weigh approximately 117g. The hind limbs are longer than the front ones and allow them to jump over decent distances, up to several meters, in case of danger.

Sufficiently large in comparison with the length of the body, the head is capable of turning almost 360 degrees, the mouth is wide, with thick lips, and the neck is short. Tarsiers have good hearing and enough big brain.

These are the only ones known to science primates that are able to communicate with each other on ultrasonic waves. They hear sounds up to 90 kHz and communicate at a frequency of about 70 kHz.

It is noted that when dissatisfied with something, the tarsier makes a sound like a thin squeak. Tarsiers use their voice to mark the boundaries of their territories, call on partners, but in general they use their voice much less often than all other primates.

These cute animals have 34 vertical teeth, the upper teeth are larger than the lower ones. They have funny very long fingers on all limbs, ending in sucker thickenings - this design of the fingers makes it easier for them to climb trees.

All fingers, except for the second and third, end in flat nails, while the second and third have sharp claws that small animals use to comb their fur. When climbing with fingers, the tarsier wraps around a branch, leaving the thumbs behind.

The ears are bare, round in shape, in constant motion and also very mobile, like small locators; soft, pleasant to the touch coat of a grayish or brownish hue.

Their most noticeable feature is large round yellow or yellow-brown eyes up to 16mm in diameter. If we correlate the length of their body with the length of the human body, then the size of their eyes will correspond to an apple. In addition, they also glow in the dark.

According to the ratio of the size of the eye to the size of the head and body, tarsiers are listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Remarkably, the weight of the eye is greater than the weight of the brain.

There are facial muscles on the face of the tarsier, so the expression of his face can change, which makes little animal looking like a human.

Tarsier lifestyle.

The greatest activity in tarsiers at night is predominantly nocturnal primates. They live in trees, and during the day they hide among dense vegetation or in hollows, where, as usual, they sleep sweetly until evening.

They climb trees very dexterously, and can also jump like grasshoppers. They use their tail to achieve balance, like little tightrope walkers. The denser the vegetation, the better for them. They almost never come down to the ground.

Tarsiers lead a solitary lifestyle, they can be separated by more than one kilometer in wildlife, each of them has its own territory. One male usually occupies up to 6.45 hectares of forest, and a female - up to 2.45 hectares.

The density of animals per 100 ha, as a rule, is 41 females and 16 males. In a day, the tarsier can easily travel a distance of one and a half kilometers while bypassing its vast territory.

You can meet a male with a female only in mating season, on the full moon of December-January. But in special reserves, tarsiers may well live in small groups.

Tarsier nutrition.

The basis of the diet of tarsiers are representatives of the class of insects as well as small vertebrates (lizards) and even small birds. The uniqueness of these primates is also that they are the only ones among primates who do not eat plant foods.

So small, but still predatory. They use jumps to stun or stun their prey. Having caught an insect, they bring it to their mouth with one or two paws.

They can eat up to 10% of their weight per day, i.e. from 8 to 16 g. Most of all they like locust species of insects, cracking down on them, the animals actually become "forest orderlies".

Reproduction of tarsiers.

Tarsiers do not build nests for their young. Pregnancy in female tarsiers lasts up to 6 months, the cub is born fully developed, sighted and with good grasping reflexes, it weighs about 27 g at birth.

Tarsiers have the slowest developing embryo, which over time prenatal development gaining only 23 grams! Having been born, the baby clings to the mother's stomach, or the mother carries it, taking the scruff of the neck with her teeth.

And, although the female tarsier has several pairs of nipples, she uses only the breast pair to feed the cub.

Tarsier males are not seen in the upbringing and feeding of the younger generation.

After seven weeks, the baby will finally switch to meat food. And in almost a month the cub will be able to jump. Young tarsiers become sexually mature by one year. Life expectancy in nature is unknown, and in captivity is a maximum of 13 years - among those known to science.

Researchers presumably consider tarsiers to be monogamous primates, although this has yet to be proven.

Enemies of tarsiers.

The main enemy of tarsiers are people. Destroying their living environment, cutting down forests, people deprive small primates of their habitat. Locals also hunt for them, because of the delicious meat.

All attempts to tame tarsiers ended in the death of animals after enough a short time. Toddlers cannot get used to captivity and often smash their heads against the bars of the cage, trying to escape.

The Philippine tarsier is endemic, living on only a few islands in the Philippines and in this moment is in danger of extinction.

They also contribute to the extinction of tarsier predator birds(owls) and wild cats.

That is why in 1986 this species of primates was given the status of a species that is endangered. Dolgopyatov protects both local and international legislation, their purchase and sale is prohibited, which is very useful for tourists to know.

Do not try to acquire this animal for yourself - you will not only break the law, but also endanger the life of a small animal, because it is quite difficult to provide it with an uninterrupted supply of insects. Better buy yourself soft toy, depicting tarsiers, as a consolation.

In 1997, with the aim of restoring and preserving natural environment To increase the number of tarsiers, the Philippine Tarsier Foundation was established in the province of Bohol. The Foundation acquired an area of ​​7.4 hectares and established the Tarsier Center.

There tarsiers are kept in conditions that are as similar as possible to their usual habitat, there are no predators there, feeding is provided for the animals, they are shown to visitors.

But if desired, the animals can always get over the fence, some do this at night, and come back in the morning.

The possibility of acquiring an additional 20 hectares of land and limiting tourists' access to small primates is currently under discussion.

The role of tarsiers in culture and art.

In past centuries, the peoples of Indonesia were afraid of tarsiers and created various myths about them. For example, due to the ability to rotate their heads almost 360 degrees, the Indonesians believed that their heads were not attached to the body, and if you meet them, then the same thing will happen to a person.

Tarsier managed to get into the movies - in the anime series "Animatrix" there is a manual tarsier Baby (Baby).

In the Indonesian jungle, you can find many different exotic animals. Among them is the Filipino tarsier, which has a very interesting and unusual appearance. These animals are partly similar to monkeys, partly to lemurs. After much debate, scientists came to the decision to attribute them to the order of primates. Next, we will talk in detail about such an exotic animal.

Description and photo

Tarsiers are quite small in size. Most of them can fit in the palm of a person. The body length of such an animal reaches an average of 10-15 cm, and the weight usually does not exceed 150 g. At the same time, the tail of such animals is very long and approximately twice the height. The head of the animal looks very large against the background of the body, since their brain is large. In addition, the tarsier can rotate it 360 degrees.

But what is first of all paid attention to is the unusually large eyes of the animal. They are even bigger than his brain. The hind legs are significantly longer than the front legs. They have five fingers and sharp claws at their tips. Due to this structure of the limbs, tarsiers are able to quickly and deftly move from tree to tree.

Did you know?Them The tarsier has the largest eyes among the entire animal world. For this, they were even included in the Guinness Book of Records. Pupils are most often very small, and the color of the shell is yellow. At night, the eyes can glow, which can frighten an unprepared observer.

The coat is grayish-brown, but some species have a brown fur coat. The ears are large and very mobile. There are also 34 sharp little teeth. The muzzle of the animal is flat, but the facial facial muscles are highly developed, and therefore the animals can quickly and easily change their facial expressions.

Habitat

Tarsiers live in the Philippine Islands. They love the tropics and dense vegetation. They prefer to be under the cover of branched trees, tall grass, among bamboo shoots or in bushes. If necessary, they descend to the ground quickly and are just as nimbly capable of climbing trees.
The animals in question most often lead a solitary lifestyle. They rarely meet each other when they cross other people's possessions. One male can occupy an area of ​​about 6.45 hectares, and a female - about 2.45 hectares. With all this, the density of Philippine tarsiers per 100 ha is about 16 males and 40 females. In 24 hours, the animal is able to overcome up to 1.5 km of forest plantations, thus bypassing its possessions.

Features of life in the wild

These animals are very unusual, and their way of life has always aroused interest among zoologists.

Lifestyle

The animal is active in the dark, and at dawn it prefers to hide in the thickets of the forest or in the grass. Thus, he is hidden from the eyes of strangers. To search for food, tarsiers go at night. Their eyes and ears are very well developed, so these animals are also excellent hunters.

Nutrition

These are active predators that mainly eat birds, lizards and insects. But the latter are loved the most. Perhaps these are the only representatives of primates whose diet consists entirely of animal food. During the day, tarsier can eat such a number of insects that by weight can be equal to about 10% of the weight of the animal itself.

They are a kind of orderlies of the forest, as they help in the fight against locusts. Such an animal can stun its prey with just one jump. When the prey is caught, the animal brings it to its mouth with the help of one or two paws. Tarsiers have practically no natural enemies, except for birds of prey, for example, owls.

Important! The most significant damage to the population in question is caused by people who hunt them, birds of prey, as well as feral cats.

reproduction

Despite the love of a solitary life, tarsiers can still create pairs for breeding from time to time. Some scientists argue that a male can meet with different females from time to time, but most experts still tend to call these animals monogamous.
Pregnancy in females lasts approximately 6 months. The baby is born already quite developed. At first, he clings to his mother so that she carries him and feeds him. breast milk. But after 2 months, small tarsiers can switch to meat food. The participation of males in the upbringing of the crumbs is usually not observed. Puberty in young tarsiers occurs at about one year of age.

Is it possible to buy a funny animal

Because of so unusual appearance Many people want to tame Philippine tarsiers. But those who found the opportunity to settle this tiny animal in their home could make sure that it is not adapted to artificial conditions, since it is not a domestic animal, but a wild one.

Important!On the current time international law protects the Philippine tarsier. The purchase and sale of such animals is strictly prohibited.

It happened that a caged tarsier tried so hard to get out of there that he even smashed his head against the bars. The destruction of the natural environment for tarsiers is the greatest threat. There are also people who hunt these animals in order to get their meat. Attempts to tame tarsiers are not successful and can lead to the death of the animal.

Where can you see tarsiers

It is very difficult to meet this unusual animal, as it prefers to be active at night and, moreover, is not going to pack. You can watch how the tarsier behaves as part of an excursion while visiting the Loboc River, which is located on the island of Bohol.

At the current time, this tiny animal, for the most part, lives only on this island. At the same time, there are no more than 200 individuals there. The species in question is dying at an incredible rate and gradually begins to disappear altogether. This is due, first of all, to the fact that they in large numbers killed by poachers. Another reason is the fact that these animals are hunted by birds of prey. Local residents try to take care of the tarsiers, not to harm them. They have a belief that tarsiers are the pets of spirits that live in forest thickets. The population believes that invisible spirits will take revenge on the offender for harming a small animal. In any case, tourists can always come to this wonderful island and see with their own eyes this interesting and unusual big-eyed animal.

The Philippine tarsier (half-monkey) is a pop-eyed primate belonging to the Loria family.

Appearance

The tarsier looks very cute. Tiny height no more than 15 cm, such a baby can easily fit on the arm of an adult. The body is covered with hair, especially the back, head, the body length of the semi-monkey is from 10 to 17 cm. The abdomen and armpits are smooth.

The fur color of the tarsier is gray to brown. Webbed limbs, rounded fingers reminiscent of frog legs. The hind legs are longer than the front. The tail looks like a rat's, only a tassel flaunts at the end.

Philippine tarsier on a tree

The tarsier weighs no more than 160 gr. Their muzzle is flattened, wide. The mouth on the face is noticeable, V-shaped. Ears without vegetation, round, mobile. You can recognize him by his huge disproportionate eyes, which also glow in the dark. The head is spinning and the baby can look behind him when turning 360 degrees. Tourists who have seen a miracle, that the sight is not pleasant.

Habitat

The Philippine tarsier animal lives in the South - East Asia. Curiously, one species for each individual island. Previously, the population of animals was found in Europe, North America. In nature, there are about 8 varieties, but only three are distinguished:

• Living in the Philippines, on the islands (Mindanao, Samara, Leyte, Bohol).
• Bankan in (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Banka, Serasan).
• I chose the cast (Sulawesi, Salayar, Big Sangihi and Peleng).

Tarsier lifestyle

prosimian family lead night image life, during the day they sleep lazily in the trees, like bats. And with the advent of the dark time of the day, these are the most active creatures on the planet. They are constantly on the alert, large-scale eyes see perfectly in the dark, ears, like locators, pick up movement. The reaction speed is instant. Despite the charming external image, these wild animals are bloodthirsty hunters.

Nutrition and reproduction

Tarsiers feed exclusively on flesh. In progress are:

• lizards;
• insects;
• spiders;
• bird eggs;

Tarsiers do not drink water, but lap like dogs. Due to the structure of the body, they can attack prey, jump several meters. They can eat fish and crabs in the water.

Philippine tarsier photo

But the favorite food remains the locust. Philippine tarsiers can breed all year round, but more often this happens from November. Pregnancy lasts for the female for 6 months, the newborn feeds on breast milk for up to 7 weeks, then proceeds to animal food. Males do not participate in the upbringing of children.

Enemies

Their enemies are feathered predators, hunting mainly at night. These are owls. Feral cats can also attack. The tarsier is a tasty morsel and easy prey due to its small stature and weight. And, of course, man.

The local people eat them, exterminating and reducing the population.

Tarsiers communicate in nature with the help of ultrasound, which cannot be perceived by the human ear. If in numbers, then about 70 kHz, and a person is able to capture only 20 kHz. Locals are cool about carnivorous crumbs, because of rumors and superstitions, supposedly something with large luminous eyes has been eating small children at night.

By the way, scientists adhere to the hypothesis that the Tarsiers appeared before the half-monkeys and are a transitional link between them and the monkeys. The structure of the body is very similar to the human, there are no bones in the genitals.

Tarsier closeup

Having three fingers, on which there are sharp claws, they use them as a comb. Life is short, tarsier lives for about 13 years in captivity. Because in limited conditions, pop-eyed babies breed reluctantly.

Since 1986, the Philippine tarsier has been listed as critically endangered on the International Red List. A natural reserve has been created in the Philippines, where there are all conditions for the stay and reproduction of these tiny creatures.

It is difficult to meet them there, they live in trees, hiding from the eyes in dense thickets of bamboo. Although they are not afraid of people and can make contact. If interested, we can offer you to read an article about. By the way, they look very similar.

The closest human soul mates. After all, legends tell us that we are descended from monkeys.

This tiny rare primate is often confused with either lemurs or jerboas - all because the exotic animal is practically not kept in captivity, and you can meet it mainly in its narrow habitat - and even then at night. Who is he, the Filipino tarsier, and are there any chances to get such a charming little animal at home? And why did the animal get such a name? We get acquainted, we are surprised, we try to tame - but we leave unsuccessful attempts to stop smiling, looking at this "surprised" creature!

Extraordinary appearance

The Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) is intermediate between the lower and higher primates. At the very least, a large head and a large brain indicate a good mental potential. The animal got its name for the shape of the hind limbs, very reminiscent of a frog. Yes, and a ball of wool jumps in the same manner, leaving no chance for its prey (various insects, spiders, small lizards and birds) to slip away from the honor of being eaten.

The jumping ability of the tarsier is amazing: up to 1 meter in length and up to 160 centimeters in height! At the same time, he throws his hind limbs back, and uses his tail as a balancer. The extremely long and thin fingers of the tarsier are equipped at the ends with thickenings resembling suction cups - they make it easier for the predator to climb trees. Moreover, primates use only their front paws to move along the branches.

The tarsier is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the most big eyes among mammals when compared with body proportions. If such a ratio were possible for humans, our eyes would be the size of an apple. Facing forward more than other primates, the eyes of tarsiers up to 16 mm in diameter are orange or amber-yellowish during the day, and at night they glow like large headlights.

The head of these animals long time made the Indonesians tremble, because they naively believed that it was not attached to the body. In fact, the tarsier's round head sits more vertically on the spine than other primates, and is able to turn 180°, which provides a full 360° view. Superstitious locals they were afraid to face them, because they believed that people from this collision could suffer the same fate. And the Filipinos were more relaxed about tarsiers, simply classifying them as pets of forest spirits.

The soft coat of tarsiers, depending on the area of ​​​​distribution, can be brown or gray in color. Interestingly, they have "everything is not like people" - the hair does not grow only at the bottom of the abdomen and armpits. However, they are very a long tail almost naked - it is covered with a short fluff, and the tip of the tail is crowned with a brush long hair. Tarsiers are the size of a child's hand - their body length ranges from 10 to 15 centimeters, and their weight is only 117 to 134 grams (in females and males, respectively).

Lifestyle

Tarsiers live in the rain forests of Eastern India, on the islands of Mindanao, Samar, Bohol, Levte, in the territory from Sumatra to the Philippines and Sulawesi. Each animal is a real "owner", and constantly patrols the cordons of its entire territory - for males it is almost 6.5 hectares of forest, for females - almost 3.5. As a result of the calculations of biologists, bypassing 100 hectares of rain rainforest, you can meet 16 males and 41 females - but you will not succeed, because tarsiers sleep sweetly in hollows, on trees, in dense thickets of bamboo during the day - or blink languidly, hugging a branch with all their paws. If you disturb a sleeping animal, it becomes angry - and in addition, it does not see very well what is happening.

Tarsiers live an active life at night, and therefore have good hearing. At night, they dominate the jungle, moving in silent leaps - animals use their ability to jump briskly to stun their prey. By the way, tarsiers are the only primates that flatly refuse any food other than animal food. But you should not blame them for this: they are very successful in coping with hordes of locusts, serving as natural orderlies of the rainforests. In a day, the tarsier eats so many insects that their weight approaches 10% of their own weight.

Most often, tarsiers are observed by whole families - in small groups or in pairs with cubs. Actually, after a pregnancy that is strangely long for such babies (about six months), only one tiny baby is born. It remains a mystery why female tarsiers have as many as four nipples?

But on the other hand, it is clear that tarsiers spend six months knowingly: with a weight of 25-27 grams, they are born well developed, able to see well with their still blue eyes, and have a strong grasping reflex. Babies need it in order to cling to the mother's stomach - and sometimes the female "traditionally" carries the cubs, taking the scruff of her teeth with her teeth. After seven weeks, the young tarsier switches from a milk diet to adult food, and a year later it acquires its own offspring. The approximate life expectancy of these primates is about 13 years.

In nature, tarsiers have little natural enemies- owls, feral cats, and, of course, a man. Not only do locals hunt tiny fluffies for food, but also the habitats of animals are gradually shrinking "thanks" to human activities.

Tarsier Taming

In the past, there have already been attempts to keep the animals in captivity, but these experiments ended sadly: although they were not shy, and the food seemed to suit them, the tarsiers soon died - and often from the fact that in an attempt to escape from the cage they broke their heads against iron bars, not wanting to put up with imprisonment. In local zoos, they learned to keep them in spacious enclosures resembling natural environment habitat of these primates. It is officially considered that it is simply impossible to bring live tarsiers to Europe.

But for some tourists, it seems that this law is not written - walking in RuNet you can find, for example, a photo report about the famous Kuzma. This tarsier was purchased in Jakarta (and this is already several thousand kilometers from the natural range of animals). They keep Kuzma not in a cage, but in an apartment, and he enthusiastically selects fresh cicadas, which the owners buy for him daily. A jump - and, grabbing the prey with two paws, Kuzya is already dragging it to his mouth.

The tarsier has been given the status of "endangered" and since 1986 has been protected both locally and international law and the purchase and sale of animals is strictly prohibited. But poaching does not sleep, and it is no secret that it is still possible to get an animal for moderate money. However, isn't it better for freedom-loving fluffies to live the life that they have chosen for themselves?

Tarsiers (Tarsier, lat. Tarsius) is a small mammal from the order of primates, very specific appearance which created a somewhat ominous halo around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams.

So, indigenous people Indonesia and the Philippine Islands were connected by an absurd appearance tarsiers with tricks of evil spirits. However, many of our contemporaries, who first see the tarsier in its native habitat, remain amazed at its non-standard appearance.

Particularly impressionable tourists even say that when they first see how huge shining eyes stare at them without blinking, and the next moment the animal turns its head almost 360 degrees and you look straight at the back of its head, it becomes, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. By the way, local natives still believe that the head tarsiers exists separately from the body. Well, this is all speculation, of course, but the facts are obvious!

how separate view have been known for a long time, but earlier they were mistakenly classified as a suborder of semi-monkeys, although in given time on the basis of a number of signs they are classified as dry-nosed monkeys. The ancestors of tarsiers are called mammals from the Omomyidae family, which, however, did not last so long and died out in the Oligocene.

There are about eight species of tarsiers. The most common are the Bankan and Philippine tarsier, as well as a separate species - the ghost tarsier. These mammals live in Southeast Asia, the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Philippines, as well as in adjacent territories.

Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) - owner the biggest eyes(in proportion to body size) among mammals, listed for this in Guinness Book of Records. This is little animal brown or brown-gray color, depending on the area of ​​​​distribution. The body length is from 10 to 15 centimeters, which is comparable to the hand of a child. The weight of the male is about 134 grams, the female is about 117 grams

The limbs of the tarsier are long and thin, they are equipped with claws, some of which resemble fingers. When moving, they usually do not use four limbs at once, although they can jump perfectly. The hind legs are strong, which is why tarsiers can overcome considerable distances in a jump.

In nature, tarsiers live in pairs or small groups of eight to ten individuals. They are nocturnal, and feed exclusively on food of animal origin - insects and small vertebrates.

The gestation period for tarsiers is quite long (about 6 months), the cub is born already in a well-developed state. At first, he clings to the mother's stomach, or she carries him, taking her scruff with her teeth. After seven weeks, he switches from milk to meat food. Young tarsiers reach sexual maturity at the age of one year. The oldest known tarsier has a lifespan of 13 years (in captivity).

The main threat to tarsiers is the destruction of their living environment. In addition, they are still hunted for their meat. Attempts to tame tarsiers and make them pets are not successful and usually lead to the death of the animal after a short time. Tarsiers cannot get used to captivity; in an attempt to escape, they often smash their heads against the bars of cages.

Peter Arnold Inc.