Philippine Tarsier: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Lemurs and Little Primates · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Compared with its body weight, the Philippine tarsier has the biggest eyes of any mammal. They give it excellent night vision.
2. Its eyes are fixed in place and cannot roll around. Instead, the tarsier can turn its round head 180° to look behind it.
3. An adult tarsier is only about as big as a grown-up's fist, which makes it one of the smallest primates.
4. The tarsier is named after its long ankle bone, the tarsus. Those springy feet let it leap at least 3 m from tree to tree.
5. Tarsiers can call in ultrasound, far too high for us to hear. A baby that loses its mother uses it to cry for help.

The quiz

1. What is special about the Philippine tarsier's eyes?

• They glow green in daylight
• For its weight, they are the biggest of any mammal (correct)
• They can see through walls
• It has four of them

No other mammal has eyes so big for the weight of its body.

2. Since its eyes cannot move, what does a tarsier do to look around?

• It closes one eye
• It hangs upside down
• It turns its head 180° (correct)
• It jumps in circles

A special neck lets it rotate its head 180°.

3. How big is an adult Philippine tarsier?

• About the size of a person's fist (correct)
• About the size of a cat
• About the size of a dog
• About the size of a grain of rice

A typical adult is roughly as big as a grown-up's fist.

4. How far can a Philippine tarsier leap from tree to tree?

• Only 10 cm
• Exactly 30 cm
• It cannot jump
• At least 3 m (correct)

Its long ankle bone lets it jump at least 3 m.

5. When does a baby tarsier use its ultrasound call?

• When it finds food
• When it is separated from its mother (correct)
• When the sun rises
• When it wants to sleep

Babies use it as a distress call when separated from their mothers.

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