All About Tarsius Spectrum

Picture: www.ecologyasia.com

Order : PRIMATES
Family : Tarsiidae
Species : Tarsius spectrum

Head-body length : 14 cm
Tail length :  24 cm
Weight : 130 grams

The Spectral Tarsier is  amongst the smallest of all primates. Tarsiers are nocturnal, forest specialists.
By day they roost in small social groups in tree holes or crevices, particularly amongst the complex trunks and vertical root structures of figs. At dusk they emerge from their hiding place and will spend an hour or so resting prior to exploring the surrounding forest for their food prey - mainly insects, such as beetles and grasshoppers, or perhaps small vertebrates such as lizards. The young will be left near the roosting site while the adults search for food.

They are supremely adapted for night-time hunting, with  large ears for detecting the movement of insects, and large eyes for nocturnal vision.

Picture: www.minahasalagoon.com

The tarsier's eyeball does not rotate. This is compensated for by the extreme flexibility of the neck, which allows the head to turn almost all the way around. This peculiarity ensures that the large eyes and large ears work in tandem when focusing in on potential prey. The ears are always moving when the animal is awake. Tarsiers can furl and unfurl their ears. Nocturnal predators usually have very large eyes and ears.
In trees tarsiers propel themselves from branch to branch with powerful thrusts of their hind legs, using the soft, disc-like pads on their fingers and toes to grip the branches. On the ground they proceed in frog-like hops, or occasionally, they walk on all fours. When seizing its prey, the tarsier closes its eyes tightly to protect them from injury during the victim's struggles.

Here's two video of Tarsius Spectrum :

 

You can find this cutest endangered primates on earth at Tangkoko National Park North of Sulawesi.