Go Philippines: Philippine Tarsier: One of the Smallest Primates

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Philippine Tarsier: One of the Smallest Primates

Image via Wikipedia
The Philippine Tarsier is thought to be the smallest primates on Earth before the discovery of Madame Berthe's mouse lemur from Madacascar. Its measures only about 85 to 160 cm on height weighing 80 to 160g, about a size of a human fist. Their big eyes are fixed in their skull and they cannot turn in their sockets but their head can be rotated in 180 degrees. This is also the largest eye to body ratio in all mammals and classified as nocturnal mammal with high vision at night.They have thin and rough fur with color gray to dark brown. The tarsiers "tarsus" (where its name came from) or ankle bone allow it to jump at least 3m in length. Its diet includes insects, small lizards, spiders, small crustaceans, and small birds.

This mammal, considered as endangered species is generally found in Southern part of the Philippines particularly in Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. It is also existing Miripipi, Siargao, Basilan and Dumagat Island.