Know More About Bohol Tarsier

Derived from the word 'Tarsal', Bohol Tarsier or Tarsius Syrichta is a nocturnal creature like the owls. They sleep during daytime yet very active at night. They hide in hollows close to the ground; hunts and feeds mainly on fruits and insects such as cockroaches, crickets and small lizards. The locals believe they eat charcoal but in fact they only get the maggots or insects inside burnt wood or to get some salt.

The size of this creature is much like the size of a human fist. They can be described as five animals in one due to its big eyes like the Owl, skin like a Monkey, ears like Bats, toes like a Frog, and tail like a Rat. Tarsiers also have sharp teeth, enabling them to catch their prey easier. Unique among other primates, tarsiers have only two, rather than four, incisors in their lower jaw. Their dental formula is 2.1.3.3 1.1.3.3x2 = 34.

The animal can also leap even up to 10 feet and agilely maneuver itself from tree to tree. This ability may be due to the fact that they have extra-long tarsal bones which form their ankles and enable them to leap so high. They also have large mesmerizing eyes whose bony eye sockets are larger than that of its brain case as well as of its stomach. The eye sockets have post-orbital closure which keeps the eyeballs from being pressed against by the powerful temporal muscles to their sides.

Just like the owl, the tarsier can rotate its head 180 degrees in each direction. It has a joint between its skull base and spine to allow this particular head movement. Its upper lip lacks a cleft yet, but still has muscles, so that it can make facial expressions. The adult brain weighs about 4 grams.

Female tarsiers have a prosimian-type uterus but a higher primate type placenta. One unusual feature is that they have multiple breast pairs, yet generally only the pectoral pair is functional. The other ones serve as anchoring points for newborn.

The gestation period of a tarsier is about 180 days (6 months), and only one young is born at a time. when a tarsier is born, it is already in a well-advanced state of development. It is born well furred and with its eyes open. The head and body length at birth is 66-72 mm, the tail is 114-117 mm long, and its weight is 25-27 grams.

After two days, a new born tarsier will already be able to move. The mother carries infants with her mouth or on her belly. They do not build nests and the female parks her infant while foraging. A young tarsier can climb after two days and will be able to jump after the fourth day. After 19 days, the young tarsier can move around much like adults but it is still on breast-fed up to about 60 days. Juveniles tend to be more uniformly colored than adults.

After two years time, young tarsiers become sexually mature. The female has an estrus cycle, or recurring period of heat within 23.5 days. Mating can take place anytime of the year. Tarsiers only live up to 20-23 years old.

Tarsier cry in a loud piercing single note. When they gather, they have a chirping, locust-like sound, and when contented emits a soft sweet birdlike twill. They live in groups, more than just one male and female. They can't be migrated by humans as they get easily stressed and commit suicide by jumping through their head.

The locals call the Tarsier on various names such as: "mamag", "mago", "maomag", "magau", "malmag", and "magatilok-iok". These creatures belong to the "Mammalia" class under the order of the primates. They can also be found in other areas of the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra and Indonesia but they differ slightly in type. Those found in Samar and Leyte were named "T. Philippensis; in Mindanao, "T. Carbonarius" and "T.Fraterculus" in Bohol. It is believed that the specie in the Philippines is of one kind but developed into three races due to separation and habitat adaptation.

You can find these creature in Tarsier Sanctuary located in Bilar town of Bohol Philippines.