Tarsier
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tarsiers are prosimian primates. They got their name because they have very long tarsus bones in thier feet.
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[edit] Body shape
Tarsiers have enormous eyes and long feet. Their feet have very long bones. Most tarsiers are nocturnal. They are primarily eat insects, and catch insects by jumping at them. They are also known to eat birds and snakes. Pregnancy takes about six months. Tarsiers give birth to single offspring.
Once found in Asia, Europe and North America, tarsiers are now only found on several Southeast Asian islands including the Philippines, Sulawesi, Borneo, and Sumatra.
They also have the longest continuous fossil record of any primate. The fossil record suggests that their dental pattern and shape hasn't changed in 45 million years.
Unlike many nocturnal animals, tarsiers lack a light-reflecting area (tapetum lucidum) of the eye. They also have a fovea, atypical for nocturnal animals.
The tarsier is also known to be the inspiration for the famous movie character Yoda of Star Wars due to its small size but excellent hunting skills. Tarsiers can catch prey like birds even if they are in motion as the tarsiers jump from tree to tree to catch their prey.
[edit] Conservation status
One tarsier species, Dian's Tarsier (Tarsius dentatus), is listed by on the IUCN Red List as being "lower Risk - Conservation Dependent". Two other species/sub-species, Horsfield's Tarsier (Tarsius bancanus), Tarsius bancanus bancanus, are listed as "Lower Risk - Least Concern". The Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) is categorized as "Lower Risk, Not Threatened." All other tarsier species are listed as "Data Deficient".
[edit] Gallery
[edit] External links
- Primate Info Net - Primate Factsheets & More: Tarsius sp.
- Video of a Tarsier
- A Synopsis of the Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands
- Tarsier behaviour: index to species
- Descriptive Article of the Philippine Tarsier