PHILIPPINE TARSIERS

Philippine tarsier

One rare animal that is found in Bohol and a couple other Philippine island that is found in few other places in world is the tarsier. It is a nocturnal primate with a body measuring from 10 to 13 centimeters (four to five inches) and rat-like tail that is longer than its body. The pint-size primate can be seen in their natural habitat in the hills around the town of Corella. The Philippine tarsier weighs 120 grams (four ounces) and has bat-like ears, and giant eyeballs, each one as big as its brain. [Source: AFP, December 12, 2011]

Philippine tarsiers (Tarsius syrichta) are found on small trees, tall grasses, bushes and bamboo vertical places in tropical rainforest areas of the Philippines, most commonly on the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao. Because they live in a small area of the world it is critical to conserve their environment if they are to survive. The tarsier is nocturnal, lives in the forest, and is highly sensitive to daylight, noise and human contact.Their lifespan is estimated to be13 years. One Philippine tarsier is reported to have lived 13.5 years in captivity.

The Philippine tarsier is the world’s second smallest primate after the pygmy tarsier in Sulawesi. Found on the Philippines island of Bohol, the Philippine tarsier has a long tail and large eyes and is about the size of a kitten. They are nocturnal creatures and live primarily in second growth forests. The Philippine tarsier is seriously endangered. They are hunted and sold as pets. Their habitat is shrinking quickly. The Philippine Tarsier Foundation has bred and released several dozen tarsiers.

Different species of tarsier are found in the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. And populations in all these countries are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “decreasing”. The Philippine tarsier, or tarsius syrichta, is categorized as “near threatened”, while species in other countries are already “vulnerable”, “endangered” and “critically endangered”. There are only several hundred tarsiers left living in the wild on Bohol, according to the Philippine Tarsier Foundation.

Many scientists now recognize Philippine tarsiers as having their own genus — Genus Carlito (Philippine tarsier, Carlito syrichta), which contains 1) C. s. syrichta, 2) C. s. fraterculus (to be combined into C. s. syrichta?) and 3) C. s. carbonarius. In 2014, scientists published the results of a genetic study from across the range of the Philippine tarsier, revealing previously unrecognised genetic diversity. Three subspecies are recognised in the established taxonomy: Carlito syrichta syrichta from Leyte and Samar, C. syrichta fraterculus from Bohol, and C. syrichta carbonarius from Mindanao. Their analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences suggested that ssp. syrichta and fraterculus may represent a single lineage, whereas ssp. carbonarius may represent two lineages – one occupies the majority of Mindanao while the other is in northeastern Mindanao and the nearby Dinagat Island,

Philippine Tarsier Characteristics

Philippine tarsiers are small grayish-brown mammals. Their colors vary depending upon the region of the Philippines they are found. Some have reddish-brown hair. They range in weight from 85 to 165 grams (three to 5.8 ounces) and range in length from eight to 16 centimeters (3.2 to 6.3 inches). They have a 25 centimeters long tail that is tufted at at the end. Their average basal metabolic rate is 0.43 watts. Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is not present: Both sexes are roughly equal in size and look similar. [Source:Carissa Kubicek, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Carissa Kubicek wrote in Animal Diversity Web Tarsiers have large ears, resembling a bat, and round faces. The area surrounding their eyes is usually darker than their body, with no white marks anywhere on the face. The eyes are huge, and their vision is acute. In proportion to their body, their eyes are the largest among mammals. The tarsier's great hearing, coupled with their amazing sense of sight, make them highly successful nocturnal (active at night), hunters. Their heads can rotate 180 degrees. /=\

Philippine tarsier

The legs and arms of these tarsiers are long and slender. Some of their digits have flattened nails and some have claws which are used for grooming. They have pads on their fingers and toes to help them cling to branches. Their legs are strong, and they are capable of jumping distances up to twenty feet. Tarsiers differ from other prosimians in several characters. These include two grooming claws on each foot, lack of a toothcomb (a group of teeth with fine spaces between them) formed by the lower canines and incisors, and a diploid number of eighty chromosomes. Tarsiers are also less vocal than many other primates. /=\

Philippine tarsiers are primatily insectivorous. They eat insects, spiders, lizards, and small vertebrate animals such as birds. Upon seizing its prey, a tarsier carries it in its mouth and using both hands. Tarsiers have huge eyes but rely on their ears The most acoustically sensitive acute primate, Philippine tarsiers hear sounds up to 91 kiloherz — a level inaudible to nearly all terrestrial mammals. Such senses may help the animals catch insects and escape predators. In comparison humans can only hear sound up to 20 kilohertz.

Philippine Tarsier Behavior and Communication

Philippines tarsiers are arboreal (live mainly in trees), nocturnal (active at night), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area), solitary, territorial (defend an area within the home range), and social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups). In terms of home range, Tarsiers appear to have home ranges of one to two hectares. [Source: Carissa Kubicek, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Philippines tarsiers spend the day hiding and sleeping in trees, vines or tree hollows. At night they come out to roam around and hunt for prey. They are social and form male female pairs. Occasionally they associate in small groups of generally no more than four animals. They show little fear of other animals, especially humans, unless quick movement is made. When in danger, Philippine tarsiers lets out a high pitched squeak.

Philippines tarsiers sense using vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected with smell and communicate with touch, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling and scent marks produced by special glands and placed so others can smell and taste them. According to Animal Diversity Web” Although less vocal than many primate species, these animals use calls which are often associated with territorial (defend an area within the home range), maintenance and male-female spacing. In addition, they use scent marks from urine and glandular secretions to delineate their territories. Tactile communication plays some role between mates and between mothers and their offspring. The role of visual communication has not been established for this species, but because they have very keen eyesight, it is likely that body postures and other visual signals are used. /=\

Philippine Tarsier Reproduction and Offspring

range of the Philippine tarsier

Philippines tarsiers are monogamous (have one mate at a time). They are usually seen in male-female pairs. Breeding occurs throughout the year. Most tarsiers breed twice per year. Relatively recent research has shown that the breeding season of tarsiers is often defined by the availability of insects. The average number of offspring is one. [Source: Carissa Kubicek, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

The average gestation period is six months. Females provide the majority of parental care. The role of the male in rearing the young has not been observed. Females have multiple pairs of nipples; however, only the pectoral one are used. Offspring are born well-furred and with eyes open. They are able to move about after only two days. Infants are carried their mother's mouth or on her belly. No nest is built.

Young tarsiers can climb after two days and jump after four. Normal locomotor patterns begin at approximately nineteen days. Young are able to capture prey by about 45 days of age, and are thought to be weaned around that time. Juveniles tend to be more uniformly colored than adults. /=\

Philippine Tarsiers, Humans and Conservation

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Philippine tarsiers are listed as Near Threatened. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix II, which lists species not necessarily threatened with extinction now but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. /=\

According to Animal Diversity Web: Tarsiers are sometimes kept as pets, although their survival in captivity is erratic due to their need for live insects upon which to feed. Scientists are interested in these animals because of their unique taxonomic position. They are a popular tourism draw in Bohol.

Captive breeding efforts have been started but to date all have been unsuccessful. Tarsiers have suffered greatly from hunters and trappers who shake the animals out of their trees or chop down the branches of the trees in which they live. They have also become popular in the pet industry, especially in Mexico. However, tarsiers rarely live long in captivity. It has been reported that they are so traumatized by captivity that they beat their heads against their cages, eventually killing themselves. Philippine tarsiers are also significantly affected by the increased rate of deforestation in their native habitat. Predation upon these animals has not been widely reported. However, because of their nocturnal and arboreal habits, they are most likely to fall prey to owls, or to small carnivores.

Suicidal Philippine Tarsiers and Tarsier Tourism

AFP reported from Bohol: “The tiny creature turns its head slowly through 180 degrees and stares, boggle-eyed as another group of noisy tourists takes its picture from just inches away. Its strange appearance is obvious, but what these tourists may not realize is that their very presence is putting the animal at risk. People go near and they’re loud, or make a picture with the flash, or they’re touching them” and that stresses them out. [Source: AFP, December 12, 2011 \=]

“According to conservationists, if a tarsier becomes stressed it will kill itself by bashing its head against a tree or the bars of its cage. “Most of those tarsiers, when they become stressed they commit suicide," says Carlito Pizarras, known as The Tarsier Man. "They don’t breathe and slowly die. If you put them in a cage they want to go out. That’s why they bump their heads on the cage, and it will crack because the cranium is so thin." \=\

At one tourist place on Bohol, “a guide calls to a group of tourists and points to a tarsier clinging to a tree branch. "Now there you are, I think you are hiding," he says in a loud sing-song voice, before encouraging the group to move closer and take a picture. A sign warns visitors not to use their camera flash, and the guide tells them not to touch. But the tarsiers here live in a thinly forested area, with light seeping through. Their ultra-sensitive eyes are murky, and their movements slow. At this time of day they should be asleep. \=\

“"Before we put them in our hands," the guide says. "But if you touch, they die. They are so very sensitive." These ones have been “domesticated” using cages, he adds, and now they are “tame”. "Try to go closer," the guide says. "They won’t bite." Pizarras argues that tarsiers in the wild are very defensive and do bite — and that these docile animals are not tame but weak.” \=\

Threatened, Stressed Out and Suicidal Philippine Tarsiers

"The tarsier is a superstar but unfortunately it’s suffering because of its fame," Joannie Mary Cabillo, the programme manager at the Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary, told AFP. "The government is backing up but not that much. We have a presidential proclamation and laws to protect the tarsiers but unfortunately nobody is sanctioned." The government declared the tarsier a “specially protected” species in 1997, outlawing hunting of the animal, and effectively banning restaurants and souvenir shops from keeping them on display. [Source: AFP, December 12, 2011 \=]

Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), told AFP the indications are that the tarsier population has gone up since then. But she acknowledges that tarsier tourism is a double-edged sword, and more needs to be done to protect the animal. "We can still do more through education and stricter enforcement," she says. "There has to be stricter monitoring, also for tourists. "It’s not just up to us. We issue the policy but the policy needs to be implemented at the field level." \=\

The DENR’s tarsier conservation programme has an annual budget of five million pesos ($115,000). "It’s not enough. But we also rely on social mobilisation," says Lim, adding that it is sometimes concerned tourists who report centres where the tarsiers are not being well treated. People caught breaching the wildlife act can be fined or even jailed, but tarsiers are still found on the black market in Manila for sale as pets, fetching about 6,000 pesos each. \=\

Philippine’s Tarsier Man and His Tarsier Sanctuary

Carlito Pizarras is the field manager at the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary in Corella on the island of Bohol, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Unlike other tarsier attractions on the island, visitors at the sanctuary are allowed to look, but not to get too close or touch the animals. [Source: AFP, December 12, 2011 \=]

AFP reported: “As a child Pizarras would hunt tarsiers with his father, a taxidermist. The stuffed creatures were best sellers, fetching 250 pesos ($6) a time. Aged 12, he decided to start keeping the animals in captivity, venturing into the forests at night to collect crickets for them to eat and learn about their habits in the wild. He realized how sensitive they were to human contact. By the time he reached his 20s the tarsiers living around his village were becoming scarce. Hunting, habitat destruction and predatory house cats were causing numbers to dwindle. \=\

“Pizarras knew he was also partly to blame, so he stopped hunting them and became a pioneer of conservation. The tarsier became Bohol’s logo, and a big tourist draw. And the Tarsier Man, once derided for his strange behaviour, became a national treasure, even presenting a pair of the animals to Britain’s Prince Charles in 1997. But Pizarras, now in his 50s, believes not enough is being done to protect the creature. It may be a tourist symbol, but more should be done to make it a symbol of conservation. "In other areas they are still putting tarsiers in cages for the tourists," he says. "I don’t know why but the government gives them permits." \=\

“Pizarras says most of these live in the 167 hectares (413 acres) of forest around the sanctuary — elsewhere it is much harder for them to thrive. "In the 70s the population was going down so I decided on my own to stop hunting tarsiers," he says. "My father got angry with me because this was our means of livelihood. "But I said maybe someday my kids and my grandchildren can see them no more, and he understood." \=\

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2024