Hi Everyone!

Today, I would like to introduce you to a special friend that is only found in the Philippines…the Philippine Tarsier. I, first, became interested when I saw the Lemurs in the movie Madagascar. Dada told me that we had our own similar Lemur call the Philippine Tarsier. That’s when I really became interested in my new animal friend.

Mama and I have done some research on the Internet on my friend. I like the Tarsier because they are so small and have very big eyes. The Philippine Tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult man’s hand. Mostly active at night, it lives on a diet of insects. Folk traditions sometimes has it that Tarsiers eat charcoal, but actually they retrieve the insects from (sometimes burned) wood. It can be found in the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines.

The species is believed to be about 45 million years old, dating back to the early Eocene period, and probably one of the oldest land species continuously existing in the Philippines. The Tarsier was first introduced to Western biologists through the description given to J. Petiver by the missionary J.G. Camel of an animal said to have come from the Philippines. Petiver published Camel’s description in 1705 and named the animal Cercopithecus luzonis minimus which was the basis for Linnaeus’ (1758) Simia syrichta and eventually Tarsius syrichta. Among the locals, the Tarsier is known as “mamag”, “mago”, “magau”, “maomag”, “malmag” and “magatilok-iok”.

The Philippine Tarsier has a gray fur and a nearly naked tail. The middle finger is elongated. Head and body length are around 118-149 mm; It weighs 113-142 grams. Males are larger than females. In comparison with his body size, the eyes of the Tarsier are enormous. In volume, the capacity of the bony eye sockets, is larger than that of the brain case, and also larger than its stomach.

Tarsiers live in and around the base of tree trunks and the roots of plants such as bamboo. They can occasionally be found in holes at the top of trees. In Mindanao, Tarsiers appear to thrive best in second or third growth thickets along the coast and in the valleys. The Philippine tarsier is nocturnal; they hunt at night, exclusively for animal prey. At day time, they hide in hollows close to the ground. When kept in captivity, individuals may huddle together or intertwine their tails. They are believed to live in groups, larger than just one male and one female. The female appears to take care for the young exclusively: no male parental care has been observed. Tarsiers live exclusively on animal prey. Their diet includes primarily insects such as cockroaches and crickets, but may occasionally be extended with reptiles, birds, and bats. A Philippine Tarsier in captivity will eat live shrimp and fish in a bowl of water. Tarsiers can live up to 12 to 20 years old.

Currently, the Philippine Tarsier is categorized as a “lower risk, conservation dependent” species, which means that, although it is not yet categorized as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, it could qualify for one of those categories within five years if the present protection programs are stopped.

Outside the Philippines, a number of relatives of the Philippine Tarsier can be found, among them the Bornean Tarsier of Borneo and Sumatra, the Spectral Tarsier, the lesser Spectral Tarsier or Pygmy Tarsier, and Dian’s Tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Pygmy Tarsier, by the way, is considerably smaller than the Philippine Tarsier, while the Pygmy Mouse Lemur, found only in Madagascar, is now being recognized as the smallest primate in the world.

So, I hope you were able to learn about an exciting animal that lives in our wonderful country called the Philippines!

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