Tarsier

Tarsier (family Tarsiidae), any of six or more speciesof small leaping primates found only on various islands of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Tarsiers are intermediate in form between lemurs and monkeys, measuring only about 9–16 cm (3.5–6 inches) long, excluding a tail of about twice that length. Tarsiers are lemurlike in being nocturnal and having a well-developed sense of smell. However, like monkeys, apes, and humans, the nose is dry and hair-covered, not moist and bald as is that of lemurs. The eyes and placenta are also simiiform in structure.


Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The tarsier’s small brain has an enormous visual cortex to process information from the large goggling eyes, the animal’s most striking feature. The size of the eyes and visual cortex is probably made necessary by the absence of a reflective layer (tapetum) that the eyes of most other nocturnal mammals possess. The tarsier is also unusual in having especially long ankle bones (tarsals, hence the name tarsier), a short body, and a round head that can be rotated 180°. The face is short, with large, membranous ears that are almost constantly in motion. The fur is thick, silky, and coloured gray to dark brown. The tail is scaly on the underside like a rat’s; in most species it has an edging or terminal brush of hair.



Enormous eyes and padded digits are adaptations that evolved in the tarsier (Tarsius), a …

Frans Lanting/Minden Pictures

Tarsiers are the only entirely carnivorous primates, preying on insects, lizards, and snakes. Clinging upright to trees, they press the tail against the trunk for support. Their grip is also aided by the tips of their digits, which are expanded into disklike adhesive pads. Tarsiers move through the forest by launching themselves from trunk to trunk propelled by their greatly elongated hind limbs.

Adults live in monogamous pairs and keep in contact vocally during the night, defending territory against other pairs using extremely high-pitched calls. On the island of Celebes (Sulawesi) these calls are duets—different but complementary calls made by the male and female. Single young are born in a fairly well-developed state, furred and with eyes open, after a gestation of perhaps six months.

Tarsiers live on the islands of the southern Philippines, Celebes (Sulawesi), Borneo, Bangka, Belitung, the Natuna Islands, and Sumatra. Species differ so much across this range that some authorities are inclined to classify them in different genera. In Indonesia and Malaysia the Western tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) has huge bulging eyes, making the head broader than it is long; it also has the longest feet, and its tail is tufted at the tip. It thrives in both old-growth and secondary forests but can also be found in low scrubby vegetation, even around villages. The South Sulawesi, or spectral, tarsier (T. tarsier, formerly called T. spectrum) is primitive, with smaller eyes, shorter feet, and a hairier tail. There are several species on Celebes (Sulawesi) and on its offshore islands, but most have not yet been described scientifically. The most distinctive is the high-mountain pygmy tarsier (T. pumilus). Until it was rediscovered in 2008, the last living pygmy tarsier specimen was seen in 1921. The Philippine tarsier (T. syrichta) has a totally bald tail, and the feet are also nearly hairless. Human settlement in its habitat threatens its continued existence.

Family Tarsiidae is classified with monkeys, apes, and humans (infraorder Simiiformes) in the suborder Haplorrhini, but it constitutes a separate infraorder, Tarsiiformes.

Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey – Nasalis larvatus

Introduction

The Proboscis Monkey is also called the Monyet Belanda Monkey, which means the long nosed Monkey. It belongs to the Old World classification. In the Egyptian Culture they were worshipped as a very unique animal and believed to be special to the gods.

Description

The long nose if this Monkey is a very distinct feature that separates it from all other species. In fact, when people first noticed it they didn’t even think it was a Monkey due to the look of it. The males have a nose that is even larger than that of the females. It is believed that a larger nose is going to attract females. The nose can be up to 7 inches long.

The males can be up to 56 pounds with the females barely about 20. This difference is larger than with any other primates in terms of their size. They have a reddish brown coloring and the limbs are gray in color. These Monkeys have a very large stomach too.

Distribution

The Island of Borneo is the known location of the Proboscis Monkey. They live in the lower elevations of the forests and around the swamplands. They are found in the Danau Sentarum National Park where they are well protected from poachers. They are well spread out in their habitat.



Proboscis monkey – Nasalis larvatus

Behavior

The warning calls of the Proboscis Monkey are very loud. It is believed that the large nose allows for the sounds to be bolder than that of other Monkeys. They can live in groups that range from 10 to 30. The Monkeys don’t always stay in the same group though. They can move from one to the next frequently. This is very different from most other groups of Monkey species.

They are able to swim very well even in deep water. This allows them to move from one island to the next. It also offers them a place to cool off and for having some fun playing around. They have been seen walking in an upright position along the trails in the forest. They do so in a single file.

The males create harems within the cultures. This allows the males to have several females for socializing and mating. They also help with the care of the young offspring.

Diet /Feeding

The Proboscis Monkey doesn’t eat more than other Monkeys but it does look like it. That is due to their body shape in the stomach region. They consume mangrove shoots and leaves. They also will consume small insects.



Proboscis monkey in Kota Kinabalu

Reproduction

Females are the ones that initiate mating, and it can occur during any period of the year. They will typically do so only when there is plenty of food. The young are born about 160 days after mating occurs. They have a bluish coloring to their face at birth but it will soon turn pinkish.

The males will have to leave the group when they are about 1 ½ years of age. The females though are able to remain for their entire life if they would like to. The Proboscis Monkey has a short life span in the wild of about 13 years. In captivity they may live up to 30 years.

Conservation

The extensive loss of vegetation has led to a steep decline in the number of Proboscis Monkeys in the wild. Today there are only about 1,000 of them that remain. As a result they are strictly protected by the government of Borneo. There are stiff penalties for those that kill them. Still, some poaching does occur and it is hard to track down those responsible for such efforts.