The animal world does not cease to amaze us. Some of the animals who inhabit our planet are really curious. That is the case of the Tarseros and especially the Ghost Tarsero, one of the animals with the eyes most hypnotic in the world . Join us to meet him!
The Ghost Tarsier
He Ghost Tarsier , whose scientific name is "Tarsius tarsier", is the smallest primate of the planet. They are haplorrino primates as human beings and belong to the genus "tarsius". They are so small that you can hold them in the palm of your hand since they measure, when they are adults, between 9 and 14 cm . Of course, its tail can reach 26 cm. It weighs very little, between 100 and 130 grams . His body is small and rounded. It is covered by a very soft skin except in the tail that is scaly and only has hair in some areas.
The feet and hands of the ghost tarsier
The hands and feet of the ghost tarsier, like those of most tarsiers, are very special. They are huge in relation to their body size and they have thin and very long fingers that they serve to hold tightly to branches, trees and lianas although they lack opposable thumbs. Their legs are also very long in proportion to their body and help them move around jumping, so they can perform jumps more than 40 times his body length. Amazing, is not it?
Where does the ghost tarsier live?
If you want to see a ghost tarsier you will have to travel to Indonesia, specifically to the Celebes Islands where they are endemic. You will have to wait for sunset to begin, as this is when you usually leave the places you use to sleep. They do it in aerial roots, aphitic ferns, vines or dense bushes. They also like to rest in the holes of the trees, especially if they have several holes, since this allows them to escape if they sense any danger.
Two curious customs
One of the most curious customs of ghost tarsiers is that They are singers" . They communicate with each other by issuing vowel sounds different songs and when a male and a female are attracted "sing a duet", especially at dawn.
It is also very curious that the mothers of tarsiers, who usually have offspring twice a year, take their offspring with them, caught with their mouths, for approximately three weeks. After this time, it is the young females of the group who are in charge of move, share food, take care and clean your brothers , And play with them!
The families of ghost tarsiers
The pregnancies of the phantom tarsier females last for about six months and have only one scion at a time. the young are very large when they are born, since their weight usually equals 20% of that of the mother. He ghost tarsier baby , at 24 hours, is already able to climb the trees! Their life expectancy is about 10 years in the wild and up to 17 years in captivity.
Tarsiers they live in families They have between 2 and 6 individuals. They hunt in a group , always maintaining visual contact between its members and, although they live in the trees, they usually do it at a low altitude. Their favorite prey are crickets, cockroaches and beetles, dragonflies, termites or moths.
Eyes and ears of the Ghost Tarsiers
One of the most spectacular features of the ghost tarsier is his incredible and hypnotic eyes . They are the largest in a mammal in relation to their body size. Their eyes are bigger than your brain and with them they can see and hunt in the dark even though they are not mobile and they do not have "tapetum lucidum", the reflective layer that allows to see some animals in the dark. This deficiency is supplemented by the size of their eyes and their overdeveloped fovea, which allows them maximum light capture. Due to the size of their eyes they can not move them, but they compensate with the ability to turn their heads up to 180º. They have the best night vision of all primates !
His ears, which move independently, are membranous and very thin which allows him to have an excellent hearing that helps him in his nocturnal activities.
Danger of extinction
At the moment the phantom tarsier is not in danger of extinction, but it can arrive soon the day it is. The reason is that these animals can not live outside the forest because they need the trees and insects that inhabit it. The indiscriminate logging that leads to deforestation is beginning to seriously harming their habitat.
As for the name tarsero "ghost" , we have not managed to find any scientific explanation for him. We suppose that it is due to the nocturnal habits of this little primate, to the great speed with which it disappears when it flees and to its "spectral" eyes. Do you know any other reason to receive that title? Share it with us!
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