Controversial Cuteness

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Controversial Cuteness

Today’s special animal friends are the tarsiers, a weird group of small primates in the family Tarsiidae. Current research identifies three genera – Carlito, Cephalopachus, and Tarsius – and “at least” fourteen species. Tarsiers belong to the suborder Haplorrhini, the “dry nosed” primates, along with monkeys and apes. They are little bitty guys with big eyes, sort of like bush babies and some of the smaller lemur species. I’m actually not finding them to be all that cute, but others may feel differently.

They are found in what I just learned is called “Maritime Southeast Asia,” including the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Here is a video about Maritime Southeast Asia, to help you learn:

The “type species” of tarsiers is, unsurprisingly, Tarsius tarsier. This animal is more interestingly known as the “spectral tarsier.” It is found only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and is also called the eastern or Sulawesi tarsier. A spectral tarsier weighs about 7 ounces. A large one will have a head-body length of about 5.5 inches and a tail over 10 inches long. They have long, skinny legs, which I think is why I don’t find them very cute. Most species also have adhesive pads on their feet, like geckos, which is creepy in a primate.

Tarsiers, as the video explains, are predators. Like cats, they have a completely carnivorous diet. Insects are the main prey, but some species also eat small mammals, birds, and bats.

Spectral tarsiers occupy a variety of habitats, including old growth and second-growth forests and agricultural plantations. They are nocturnal and mostly arboreal. They live in small family groups. Males have larger ranges than females and are more likely to eat prey other than insects. They communicate using ultrasonic squeaks, as well as sounds audible to humans and scent marking.

They are monogamous during the mating season. Mating behavior involves vocalizations and overly familiar sniffing. After six months’ gestation, one baby is born. The babies are precocious, going out on their own in less than a month. As they mature, the young leave their natal family and join other groups, with males’ tending to go further and detach more completely than females do.

Spectral tarsiers are rated Vulnerable by IUCN. Predators include monitor lizards, civets, snakes, and birds of prey. In addition to predators, the main threat is habitat loss due to forest clearance for timber sales, agriculture, and limestone mining. Pesticides also reduce the availability of insect prey and introduce toxins.