It can surprise everyone if in the jungle at night when voices are heard wild predators, an incomprehensible creature will jump out from under your feet, instantly cover a distance of several meters, settle down on a branch and stare at you with an unblinking gaze. And when he loses interest, he will slowly turn his head away, making a 360-degree movement.
Such creatures with their unusual behavior are familiar to Filipino everyday life. Funny primates live in the Philippines - the sirichta or tarsier. Impressionable tourists are afraid of this animal, and the natives think that it is a representative dark forces, besides, they are sure that the tarsier’s head exists separately from the body.
This, of course, is all superstition, but the Philippine tarsier can surprise even the most inveterate skeptics.
The animal's eyes are of particular interest; if we compare the ratio of their size to the entire body, it turns out that this animal has the most big eyes among all existing mammals.
The Philippine tarsier even entered the Guinness Book of Records as the creature with the largest eyes.
In addition, this animal has another record: it ranks second among the smallest primates, and the first went to the dwarf mouse lemur, which reaches a length of only 20 centimeters, with a tail of 10 centimeters. The body length of the tarsier is slightly longer than that of dwarf lemur, but the body is shorter than the tail.
The Philippine tarsier has well-formed hind limbs, they have long ankles. The tarsier uses its hind limbs to make jumps several meters long. The tarsier has elongated fingers, while joints and pads are clearly visible on them, which appearance resemble suction cups. These are the fingers that are depicted on aliens in movies.
Despite this, the tarsier is a completely terrestrial animal. These animals live on the islands of the Philippine archipelago: Mindanao, Samar, Leyte and Bohol. The habitat is bamboo thickets, branches of bushes and trees. Philippine tarsiers do not live in groups; they prefer solitary life. The diet consists of a variety of insects, worms, spiders and small birds.
Males have their own feeding territory, about 6.5 hectares in size, on which several females settle. The area of the females' possessions does not exceed 2.5 hectares. When one of the females experiences favorable time for fertilization, the male visits her. The gestation period is approximately six months, but throughout this time the fetus develops slowly, so when the baby is born, it weighs only 23 grams.
The Philippine tarsier is an unusual animal. These animals do not harm people, on the contrary, they help; if you manage to tame a tarsier (but it is worth noting that this is quite difficult), it will protect the house from various pests: worms, spiders, insects and other living creatures. When the Philippine tarsier plays, it evokes a feeling of affection as its face is covered with big amount facial muscles, thanks to which the primate’s face can take on different expressions.
In the Indonesian jungle you can find many different exotic animals. Among them is the Philippine tarsier, which has a very interesting and unusual appearance. These animals are partly similar to monkeys, partly to lemurs. After much debate, scientists came to the decision to classify them as primates. Next, we will tell you in detail about such an exotic animal.
Description and photo
Tarsiers are quite small in size. The majority of them can fit in the palm of a person. The body length of such an animal reaches an average of 10-15 cm, and the weight usually does not exceed 150 g. Moreover, the tail of such animals is very long and is approximately twice as tall. The animal's head looks very large compared to the body, since their brain is large. In addition, the tarsier can rotate it 360 degrees. 
But what people first notice is the animal’s unusually large eyes. They're even bigger than his brain. The hind legs are significantly longer than the front legs. They have five fingers and sharp claws at their tips. Due to this structure of the limbs, tarsiers are able to quickly and deftly move from tree to tree.
Did you know?Them But the tarsier has the largest eyes among the entire animal world. For this they were even included in the Guinness Book of Records. The pupils are most often very small, and the color of the membrane is yellow. At night, the eyes may glow, which can be frightening to an untrained observer.
The fur is grayish-brown, but some species have a brown coat. The ears are large and very mobile. There are also 34 sharp small teeth. The animal’s muzzle is flat, but the facial facial muscles are highly developed, and therefore the animals can quickly and easily change their facial expressions.
Habitat
Tarsiers live in the Philippine Islands. They love the tropics and dense vegetation. They prefer to be under the shelter of branched trees, tall grass, among bamboo shoots or in bushes. If necessary, they descend to the ground quickly and are also able to climb trees just as quickly. 
The animals discussed most often lead single image life. They rarely meet each other when they cross other people's territories. One male can occupy a territory of about 6.45 hectares, and a female - about 2.45 hectares. With all this, the density of Philippine tarsiers per 100 hectares is about 16 males and 40 females. In 24 hours the animal can cover up to 1.5 km forest plantations, thus bypassing their possessions.
Features of life in the wild
These animals are very unusual, and their way of life has always aroused interest among zoologists.
Lifestyle
The animal is active in the dark, and when dawn comes, it prefers to hide in the thickets of the forest or in the grass. Thus, he hides from the eyes of prying eyes. Tarsiers go searching for food at night. Their eyes and ears are very well developed, so such animals are also excellent hunters. 
Nutrition
They are active predators that primarily eat birds, lizards and insects. But the latter are loved the most. Perhaps this the only representatives primates whose diet consists entirely of animal food. During the course of a day, a tarsier can eat so many insects that their weight can be equal to about 10% of the weight of the animal itself.
They are a kind of forest orderlies, as they help in the fight against locusts. Such an animal can stun its prey with just one jump. When the prey is caught, the animal brings it to its mouth with one or two paws. Natural enemies Tarsiers have practically none, except perhaps birds of prey, for example, owls.Important! The most significant damage to the population in question is caused by people who hunt them, birds of prey, and feral cats.
Reproduction
Despite their love of solitary life, tarsiers can still periodically create pairs for reproduction. Some scientists argue that the male may meet from time to time with different females, but most experts are still inclined to call these animals monogamous. 
Pregnancy in females lasts approximately 6 months. The baby is born already quite developed. At first, he clings to his mother so that she can carry him and feed him. breast milk. But after 2 months, little tarsiers can switch to meat food. The participation of males in raising the baby is usually not observed. Sexual maturity in young tarsiers occurs at approximately one year of age.
Is it possible to buy a funny animal?
Because of this unusual appearance Many people want to tame the Philippine tarsier. But those who found the opportunity to place this tiny animal in their home could be convinced that it is not adapted to artificial conditions, since it is not a domestic animal, but a wild one.
Important!On current time International law protects the Philippine tarsier. The purchase and sale of such animals is strictly prohibited.
It happened that a tarsier put in a cage tried so hard to get out of there that he even smashed his head against the bars. Destruction natural environment for tarsiers is the greatest threat. There are also people who hunt these animals in order to get their meat. Attempts to domesticate tarsiers are unsuccessful and can lead to the death of the animal.
Where can you see tarsiers
It is very difficult to meet this unusual animal, since it prefers to be active at night and, moreover, does not gather in packs. You can observe how the tarsier behaves as part of an excursion while visiting the Loboc River, which is located on the island of Bohol.
Currently, this tiny animal, for the most part, lives only on this island. However, there are no more than 200 of them there. The species in question is dying at an incredible rate and is gradually beginning to disappear altogether. This is due, first of all, to the fact that they are large quantities killed by poachers. Another reason is the fact that these animals are hunted by birds of prey. Local residents try to take care of the tarsiers and not harm them. They have a belief that tarsiers are pets of spirits that live in forest thickets. The population believes that if a small animal is harmed, invisible spirits will take revenge on the offender. In any case, tourists can always come to this wonderful island and see with their own eyes this interesting and unusual big-eyed animal.Tarsiers (Tarsiidae) are small creatures from the order of primates. Previously, tarsiers were classified as an outdated suborder of prosimians; today they are considered part of the dry-nosed monkeys (Haplorhini).
Biologists disagree about the number of species in the tarsier family. Depending on your point of view, there are from three to seven species of tarsier. While four of them can be considered subspecies, the following have undisputed species status:
- Bancan tarsier (Tarsius bancanus)
- ghost tarsier (Tarsius spectrum)
They are found in South-East Asia, and each species is localized on certain islands.
For example, the Philippine tarsier, or sirichta, lives in Mindanao, Samar, Leyte, and Bohol. It was first described by Catholic missionaries at the beginning of the 18th century. and named the “tiny Luzon monkey.” Carl Linnaeus did not agree with this name, giving his own - “Syrichta monkey”, the general generic name Tarsius syrichta, i.e. "tarsier of siricht" was assigned later, and local residents they call it differently: "mawmag", "mamag", "mago", "magau", "maomag", "malmag" and "magatilok-iok".
Bankan tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) found in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Banka, Serasan. The ghost tarsier (Tarsius spectrum or Tarsius tarsier) has chosen Sulawesi, Salayar, Greater Sangihi and Pelenge.
These little ones are big-headed and bug-eyed. With a body length of 12-15 centimeters, their eye diameter is up to 16 millimeters. With these proportions transferred to human height, it would be equal to the average size of an apple. And the tarsier can rotate its head almost 360 degrees.
Another feature appearance is the uneven distribution of fur. There is almost no tail on the stomach and armpits; the tail, which is longer than the body with the head, is naked and has only a hair brush at the end. He performs very important role balancer and steering wheel. The tarsier, which prefers vertical movement, even leans on it when standing.
The animals lead the arboreal and night look life in a single or paired existence, in as a last resort- groups of up to four individuals. They deftly climb trees using the pads on their toes as suction cups. Their pregnancy lasts about six months and a small animal is born, which, within a couple of hours after birth, can, grasping the mother’s fur, make its first journey.
Offspring may appear all year round, But highest birth rate falls between November and February. It is noteworthy: having two to three pairs of nipples, the female uses only breasts when feeding.
Tarsiers are characterized by amazing jumping ability: up to 160 centimeters in height and more than a meter in length, and the manner of jumping is reminiscent of a frog. By jumping, they stun their prey: insects, spiders, small lizards, etc. Eating up to 10 percent of food per day own weight, they fully deserve the title of forest orderlies, especially in terms of absorbing locusts.
Alas, the poor fellows did not receive respect for this among the local population. According to some beliefs, they represent evil gnomes, according to others - enchanted creatures, according to others - they are pets of forest spirits. Meetings with tarsiers are considered dangerous, mainly because of their eyes, which glow in the dark. However, causing harm to them is perceived as bad omen, a harbinger of misfortune.
But for now, only the animals themselves suffer misfortune. In the forest they have few enemies - owls and feral cats, but the destruction of their habitat by humans has already led to the fact that tarsiers have become an endangered species. In captivity, tarsiers do not live - they quickly die, smashing their heads into blood against the bars of the cage. Average duration The lifespan of a tarsier is about ten to thirteen years.
Imagine: a jungle at night, somewhere in the distance you can hear the voices of wild animals and suddenly something jumps out from under your feet. strange creature. With ease, almost without accelerating, it overcomes several meters, sits down on a branch and looks at you with its huge, unblinking eyes. Then he apparently loses interest and turns away. At the same time, his head slowly turns 360 degrees...
Stills from a horror movie? But no - ordinary Filipino everyday life. Here lives a small funny primate - the sirichta or Philippine tarsier (lat. Tarsius syrichta), who loves to terrify impressionable tourists. What about tourists - local residents consider him a close friend of the dark forces and firmly believe that his head lives separately from his body.
Fiction, of course, but the Philippine tarsier is capable of surprising any hostile skeptic. Take, for example, its eyes - if you consider their size in proportion to the length of the body, it turns out that these are the largest eyes of all known mammals. Sirichta was even included in the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the largest organs of vision.
The Philippine tarsier also claims another record - the title of the smallest primate on Earth. However, here he was bypassed by a dwarf mouse lemur, whose body length is only 20 cm (ten of which are in the tail). The tarsier's body is not much larger than the lemur's, but its tail is always longer than the body. So it turns out that the sirichta is still larger than the malicious lemur.
The Philippine tarsier has well-developed hind limbs and elongated ankles. It is with their help that he is able to jump from a place to a distance of several meters. His fingers are long with quite noticeable joints and large pads that look like suction cups. It's funny, but these are exactly the kind of fingers that are used to draw movie aliens.
And yet sirichta is completely our, earthly creature. It is found on the islands of the Philippine archipelago, such as Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Here he prefers bamboo thickets, branches of trees and bushes. Big company doesn’t like it, so it lives in splendid isolation, feeding on various insects, spiders, worms and small birds.
As a rule, several females settle in a male’s territory of 6.5 hectares, whose individual areas are no more than 2.5 hectares. When one of them is ready for fertilization, the male comes to visit her. Interestingly, pregnancy in females lasts about six months, but the embryo develops very slowly during this time and by the time of birth weighs only 23 g.
To people Philippine tarsier never bother. On the contrary, if one of them can be tamed (and this is not so easy), he, with all his zeal, begins to destroy household pests - spiders, worms and other living creatures. Watching him during games is a pleasure: the sirichta’s face has many facial muscles that allow the primate to give its “face” a wide variety of expressions.
Tarsiers were once found not only in the Philippines, but also in Asia, North America and even Europe. However, they were driven out from there by larger and more agile predators, who were not very frightened by the whole mystical surroundings of the small primates. And yet the sirichta did not give up so easily - he can still make a trusting heart skip a beat with fear.
Loading...
