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Tarsier

September 23, 2021

Tarsiers are small primates found in Southeast Asia in Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Tarsiers live in forested areas that have vines they use for climbing through the forest branches.

One of the most memorable aspects of seeing a Tarsier is its appearance. They have huge eyes that can be as big as their brains. This lets them see better in the dark than most primates. In addition, tarsiers have hairless tails and big pointed ears.

Adapted for Life in the Trees

The tarsier resembles a cute toy a little one might want to cuddle to sleep. However, this nocturnal primate has fully adapted to life among the trees.

  • Tarsiers get their name from their long hind legs. These legs come from elongated foot bones called tarsus bones.
  • These nocturnal primates are built for leaping up and down tree branches.
  • They also have elongated fingers, and two toes on each foot have claws instead of nails. The claws let them grip tree bark as they move up and down through the forest canopy.

Tarsiers are carnivorous only, meaning they eat live insects and other small prey like bats and snakes. They use their leaping skills to stalk and then leap on their prey.

8 Comments

  1. Diane Holland

    Awesome!
    I really enjoy Animal of the day, thank you:)

    Reply
  2. Sandra Yrevino

    Thank you for these animal of the day postings. They are all so marvelous as they are the artistry of our wonderful Creator!

    Reply
  3. Sandra Treviño

    Thank you for these animal of the day postings. They are all so marvelous as they are the artistry of our wonderful Creator!

    Reply
  4. Rose

    Love the animal of the day. It’s the 1st thing I look for when I open my e-mail. It is awesome. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  5. Dan Johnson

    I also love seeing these beautiful animals. It makes me see how ugly humans are. Thank you for showing us these beautiful animals of the world.

    Reply
    • Edwin Maldonado

      Well said!

      Reply
  6. Darlene

    Love all these stories. Have a great day

    Reply

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