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 noticed is extraordinary. big eyes 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. natural enemies tarsiers have practically none, except perhaps predator birds, 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, it 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, as it is not a domestic animal, but a wild one.

Important!For the current time international law guards 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. Destruction 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. locals they 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 my own eyes on this interesting and unusual big-eyed animal.

The tarsier monkey belongs to the genus Primates, forms its own family of Dolgopyatovs. It could not be otherwise, since tarsiers have an extremely exotic appearance, and are completely different from other representatives of the genus Primates.

Thanks to such an unusual appearance, tarsiers have become the heroes of mythical stories and legends.

Philippine tarsier

Tarsiers are tiny animals with a body weight of 80-160 g and a height of 9 to 16 cm. They have long hind legs and a bare tail, reaching a length of 30 cm. The fingers of both the hind and forelimbs are long, with thickenings at the tips, which form a kind of suckers to facilitate movement through the trees.

Compared to the body, the head of tarsiers is quite large. It is connected to the spine more vertically than in other primates. An unusual feature of tarsiers is the ability to turn their heads almost 360º.

Their relatively large ears, like the tail, are not covered with hair; Dolgopyatov is distinguished by excellent hearing. They are able to hear sounds with frequencies up to 90 kHz.

The eyes are their unique feature. appearance. They reach a diameter of 16 mm. At night, they glow, which gives these animals something magical.

The body of the tarsier is covered with short grayish or brown hair.

Nutrition

Tarsiers are the only primates whose diet consists exclusively of animal food, namely insects and small reptiles. During the hunt, the tarsier jumps sharply, stunning and immobilizing its prey. During the day, he can absorb food, weighing up to 10% of his body weight.

Habitat and lifestyle

The natural habitat of tarsiers is Southeast Asia, namely the Philippine Islands, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi. Tarsiers prefer dense forests, where they spend most of their time in the branchy crowns of trees. Quiet and shy during the day, they hide among the dense foliage. At night, they become dexterous hunters.

Tarsiers move by jumping, pushing off with their hind legs like a frog, and the tail is used as a balancer.

reproduction

Tarsiers are solitary animals, they extremely rarely live in groups, only during the breeding season they can be seen in pairs.

Pregnancy of the female lasts about 6 months, and the baby is born quite developed. He grabs his mother by the stomach and moves through the trees with her. During the first 7 weeks of life, the small bug-eyed tarsier feeds on milk, and then moves on to animal food.

Today, the tarsiers, considered by the natives to be the pets of the forest spirits, are in danger. A person not only rapidly destroys the forests in which they live, but also tries to tame tarsiers and make them pets, which rarely leads to success; in captivity, tarsiers quickly die.

And now here's a beast.

Tarsius, the only genus of prosimians of the tarsiers family (Tarsidae), the exact position of tarsiers in taxonomy has not been determined. The genus includes three modern look. In the Paleocene and Miocene of Europe and North America, tarsiers were widely represented.

Tarsiers 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.

Tarsiers are small animals; the length of the head and body is 8.5-16 cm, the tail is long (13.5-27 cm), naked, with a tuft of hair at the end. Body weight 95-165 g. Large round head, wide and short muzzle, with very large eyes (up to 16 mm in diameter, that is, only ten times smaller than the animal itself, which is still found only in cuttlefish). The head can be rotated 180°. Tarsier eyes glow in the dark. The ears are large, bare and mobile. The mouth is wide.

Modern tarsiers are preserved in South-East Asia, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago. These are Philippine tarsier, or sirihta (Tarsius syrichta), Bankan tarsier (Celebes tarsier, western tarsier; Tarsius bancanus) and ghost tarsier (poppies, eastern tarsier, Sunda tarsier; Tarsius spectrum). Each species is found only on certain islands. So, sirihta is found in the Philippines (the islands of Mindanao, Samar, Leyte, Bohol); Bankan tarsier - on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Banka, Serasan; ghost tarsier - in Sulawesi, Salayar.

The ghost tarsier has the largest eyes of all mammals, relative to body size, yellow and glowing in the dark. Locals consider these tarsiers to be sorcerers and are afraid of them. Ghost tarsiers live alone or in pairs, are nocturnal in tropical rainforests, usually in lowland and coastal areas, found in bamboo thickets, in small trees or in lightened primary forests.

Ghost tarsiers feed on insects, spiders, and lizards. They lap water, just like lemurs. They love to hunt for crabs and fish.

Animals move by jumping up to 1 m long. They jump from branch to branch or from tree to tree, sometimes like frogs. The tail during the jump serves as a rudder for them. They often hunt in pairs, rarely in threes or fours.



Ghost tarsiers breed regardless of the season. After six months of pregnancy, 1 cub is born, covered with wool, with open eyes. He immediately clings to the hair on his mother's stomach with all his limbs, he can even climb the branches on his own. During movement, the mother carries the cub with her mouth, like a cat carries a kitten. Nothing is known about the period of lactation and maturation of the cub. All tarsiers are listed in the International Red Book.

Tarsiers living on Earth for at least 45 million years, it is one of the oldest animal species in the Philippines. Once upon a time tarsiers were widespread in Europe, Asia and North America, but now they can only be found in remote corners of the planet

If tarsier he is very dissatisfied with something, he makes a thin squeak. With the help of voice, tarsiers can communicate, report on the boundaries of their territories and call on partners, but it is generally noted that tarsiers much less vocal than other primates. Maximum recorded lifespan Philippine tarsier- 13.5 years (in captivity).


The indigenous population of Indonesia and the Philippine Islands tied a ridiculous 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!

Classification

Previously, tarsiers were classified as an obsolete suborder of prosimians, today they are considered as one of the families of dry-nosed monkeys ( Haplorhini). In the Eocene and Oligocene, there was a family close to tarsiers called Omomyidae, whose representatives lived in Eurasia and North America. They are considered the ancestors of the tarsiers.

Depending on the point of view, there are from three to eight species of tarsiers. While five of these can be considered subspecies, the following have undisputed species status:

Spreading

Notes

Links

  • Tarsiers in culture and art on the Philippines.RU portal

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

  • Scarface (film)
  • Glussky district of the Mogilev region

See what "tarsier" is in other dictionaries:

    TALISIERS- a family of semi-monkeys of the order of primates. Body length up to 16 cm, tail up to 27.5 cm. The fingers are long, with extended pads at the ends. The eyes are large and glow in the dark. 3 species, on the islands of the Malay arch., all in the Red Book International Union… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    tarsiers- ov; pl. (singular tarsier, a; m.). A family of semi-monkeys of the order of primates with long fingers and eyes glowing in the dark. * * * Tarsiers are a family of semi-monkeys of the order of primates. Body length up to 16 cm, tail up to 27.5 cm. Fingers are long, with ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

    Tarsiers- (Tarsiidae) a family of mammals of the order of primates. Body length of males is 8.5-16 cm, tail length is 13.5-27.5 cm, weight is 80-150 g. The head is large, very mobile: it can turn almost 360°. The ears are large, the muzzle is short, flattened, ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

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 - the western tarsier, the eastern tarsier, the Philippine tarsier, the pygmy tarsier and the 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 at all characteristic of 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 interesting 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 on 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.

Ancestors of the tarsier existed as far back as the Eocene in North America and Eurasia, it is one of the most ancient animal species in the Philippines, which has existed for at least 45 million years.

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

Basically, tarsiers are island inhabitants of Southeast 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 a fairly large 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 its face can change, which makes the little animal look like a man.

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 gains only 23 grams during intrauterine development! 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. Breaking them down living environment By cutting down forests, people are depriving 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.

Birds of prey (owls) and wild cats also contribute to the extinction of tarsiers.

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. Instead, buy yourself a stuffed tarsier toy as a consolation.

In 1997, with the aim of restoring and preserving natural environment a fund was created to increase the number of tarsiers Philippine Tarsiers 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).