philippine tarsier
...ation dependent”. There are a few reasons for its endangerment. Philippine tarsiers used to be caught, stuffed, and sold to tourists. Because they are protected now this has stopped. What has not stopped is the destruction of its natural forest habitat. The slash and burn agriculture in the Philippines has caused great harm to this and many other species. If no action is taken soon, Tarsiers will quickly make the list of extinct species. Tarsiers are an arboreal species. Their homes include in and around the bases of trees. They also live in the roots of plants such as bamboo. Occasionally they can be found at the tops of trees but they are mainly found towards the ground. The Philippine tarsier is a “vertical clinger and leaper”. Dagosto and Gebo (1998) found that tarsiers used leaping 62% of the time, climbing 23%, and quadrapedalism 13%. Also, when traveling, tarsiers mostly use vertical supports. Tarsiers live alone on animal prey. Their diet is comprised mainly of cockroaches and crickets. Although sometimes they may feast on some reptiles, birds, and bats. One can say that tarsiers are carnivorous. When a tarsier spots a prey on the ground they leap with their hands first, catching the item in their mouth if it is small enough (Niemitz, 1984). Their leaping ability is enhanced by their larger than average ankle bones. Also the tibia and fibula in tarsiers are fused together at the end to act as shock absorbers when they leap whether it is for locomotion or catching an insect. Also because tarsiers are nocturnal they like to hunt at night. Because they have to see extremely well at night, tarsier’s eyes are exceptionally large relative to its body. In fact they are larger than the animal’s brain. Also tarsier’s ears are large and funnel like to help them catch their prey. Philippine tarsiers are usually sexually m...