One of the most amazing creatures are tarsiers that live in the Philippines. Having looked at him, it’s already difficult to look away at something else until you have a good look at this monkey. This creature is the smallest of all primates. His height is measured in several centimeters. An adult reaches only 16 centimeters. It usually weighs no more than 160 grams.
The appearance of the animal
The Philippine tarsier has the most attractive eyes. In addition to their huge size, they are able to glow in the dark. It was because of this ability that the locals nicknamed the crumb "tarsier-ghost." No other mammal can meet such large eyes, if we compare their ratio to the head. But this is not the only large part of the monkey’s body. This small animal has protruding ears that complement the amazing image of the crumbs. The face of the animal has a slightly flattened appearance, unlike other primates, because of this, its sense of smell is not very well developed. The brain of tarsier has a relatively large volume. The baby's coat is very delicate, wavy to the touch. He takes care of her, combing her with the claws of the second and third fingers. Interestingly, other phalanges do not have claws. Tarsiers are grayish or dark brown in color.
Tarsier abilities
The paws of the animal are adapted for jumping and climbing trees. The forelimbs are slightly shortened, but the hind limbs are more elongated in the heel. Now it becomes clear where the name "tarsiers" came from. Fingers of the animal are equipped with pads, and their phalanxes are so sophisticatedly made that they resemble a small pen. The tail of the primate remains bald and ends with a brush. He uses it like a balancer during a jump. The size of this peculiar “rudder” exceeds the length of the body. It is also worth noting one feature that the Philippine tarsier has. The photo of the animal, proposed below, shows that the baby has well developed facial muscles.
Thanks to them, the baby can
squint its eyes and make grimaces, like a real monkey. And his head can make turns more than 180 degrees, in order to consider what is happening behind him.
Lifestyle
This animal leads an active life at night. With the onset of dawn, he hides in the bushes, on small trees, in bamboo or in the grass. This disguise allows you to hide from prying eyes. At night, Filipino tarsier goes in search of food. A specially adapted ears and eyes allow him to remain a good hunter. The diet of the animal includes insects, worms, spiders and even small vertebrates. To food got into the mouth, the animal brings, squeezing it with two legs. Tarsier moves mainly by jumping, although it can alternately move its legs and climb. At a time, he is able to overcome as much as one and a half kilometers! Tarsiers can live 13 years, but this is in captivity.
Breeding
Tarsiers are surprisingly a territorial animal.
The area of possessions of one male can be 6 hectares, in its open spaces several females usually live, in which their own personal territory occupies only 2 hectares. When the time comes (in spring or autumn), the male visits all of his ladies, after which they begin a long pregnancy. Within six months, the future baby develops, which by the time of birth will weigh only 23 grams. A baby is born with eyes already open, which is what distinguishes the Filipino tarsier from other primates. The photo above shows the mother with the baby. Dad is not involved in the education of his offspring. While the children are small, they are everywhere with a nurse. They move, clutching at mom's fur coat. At that moment, when the baby begins to independently obtain food, he leaves in search of a separate territory.
Tarsier and man
Because of their unusual appearance, many would like to tame this tiny animal. Those who had such an opportunity, tried to do this and were convinced that raising a personal pet from the crumbs is almost impossible, since they are wild animals. Small animals, planted in a cage, try to get out, and many broke their heads, hitting the walls and trying to escape. Those single lucky people who have taken root in this primate noticed how zealously their animals struggle with insects - cockroaches and spiders. It is interesting to watch the animal when it begins to play. His muscles on the face create funny grimaces.
Species extinction
Now this small animal lives only on the island of Bohol. In this area they will be typed no more than 200 individuals, since the animal dies at high speed. The first main reason tarsiers began to disappear is the hunters. To catch a monkey, they cut down trees and coward their branches. From fear, these crumbs thinly squeak and change the expression of their faces. But poachers are not the only threat. Birds of prey love to feast on a small animal and also hunt it.
What is being done to preserve the view
The local population treats tarsiers with care and is afraid to harm them, because they believe that they are pets of spirits that live in their forest. The people are sure that after inflicting damage on the baby, an invisible owner will avenge him. In addition, the Philippine tarsier is currently protected by international law. The sale and purchase of this animal is strictly prohibited. To preserve this rare species of mammal, the government on about. Back in the 20th century, Bohol organized the creation of a center in which the animal is provided with security. Arriving here, tourists have the opportunity to take a look at tarsiers with their own eyes and even take a photo of it.
Some interesting facts
Like every animal, these also have their own interesting features, which we will read about:
- The Philippine tarsier is listed in the Guinness Book as the holder of the largest eyes in relation to the body.
- The ears of this primate are always in motion.
- The baby is capable of jumping several meters. So he gets from tree to tree, without touching the ground.
- These animals of the Philippines used to live in Asia, Europe and North America, but more ferocious predators drove them out of there.
- Those who have not met tarsiers before, are usually very scared when they first see this "little eye" live.
- These animals are able to send each other messages about possible dangers.But the signals sent are not audible to humans because they use ultrasonic waves.
- This primate is the only one among all brethren whose diet consists solely of live food.
- Tarsiers do not create their own homes.
- The animal lives its entire life above and very rarely touches the surface of the earth.
- Many argue that big-eyed crumbs are the smallest primates. The species of monkeys and semi-monkeys are so diverse that tarsier on this list loses to mouse lemur. The body of this animal is equal to only ten centimeters, with a tail it grows to 20! Although the body of our challenger does not overtake the lemur by much, still with the tail he loses to him.
- And the last one. Tarsiers are often called monkeys, but this is not entirely true. They, like lemurs, have their own separate appearance in the family of primates.