Found on the islands of Southeast Asia, these tiny primates leap from tree to tree in search of insects and lizards. What is striking about them are their over-sized, round eyes. However, they cannot move their eyes around as their eyes are fixed within their eye sockets. To make up for the drawback, tarsiers have the ability to turn their head 180 degrees in each direction to spot prey as well as predators.
The tarsiers body proportions are similar to that of a kangaroo, with shorter front limbs and stretched out hind legs, but in the kangaroo it is mostly the shin – the tibia and the fibula bones – that are elongated. In the tarsier it is the calcaneum and navicular bones of the ankle, also known as the tarsal bones, that are freakishly long, and this is actually where the name tarsier comes from.
On the ground, the tarsier hops like a frog, but can also move with a quadrupedal walk. They are usually on the ground for just a few moments while they trap and eat an insect or two, then return to the trees.
The hands and feet have tiny, rounded tips, like suction cups. The thumb is not opposable, but the big toe is, and the hind foot is able to rotate drastically to allow grasping of branches in a variety of positions. There are flattened nails on all fingers and toes except the third and fourth toes, which have long, curved claws designed specifically for grooming.
Credit : Animal Facts Encyclopedia
Picture Credit : Google
