Tarsiers

Tarsiers

The tarsier gets it name from the elongated tarsal bones of the ankle. Their tibia and fibia are fused at the end (unique among primates), enhancing their leaping ability.

Strepsirrhines contain

lemurs and lorises

Haplorrhines contain

new-world monkeys, old-world monkeys, the hominoidea and tarsiers.

Tarsiers

Principally insectivorous: The tarsier perches about a meter above the forest floor scanning the ground, and when it sees an insect it pounces upon it. It kills it by biting it, then it jumps to a branch again to eat it. When killing and eating large insects like cockroaches and crickets, the tarsier keeps it large eyes tightly closed to protect them from injury. Tarsiers are small (120 g), but they have enormous eyes that dominate the face. In one particular species, a single eye weighs more than the brain.

Tarsiers Home Range and Social Structure:

Tarsiers have small home ranges which they actively defend from other tarsier intruders (using scent marking, vocalizations & chasing). Within the defended territory lives a male, a female, and their immature offspring. The male and female bond for life. They have only one baby at a time which the mother carries in her mouth. The baby is parked in a tree while the mother hunts.

Tarsiers

They demonstrate extreme mobility of the neck (occipital joint), which allows the tarsier a 180º rotation of the head so that backward leaping is visually controlled (Owls = 240º).

Tarsiers

- Carniverous - Elongated ankle bone - Grooming/ toilet claw (two of toes) - Nocturnal - No tapedum - Mated pair (monogamous) - Carry kids in mouth - Decendents of omniganiads - ancient line