Tarsier

Tarsiers
	File:Philippine Tarsier Upclose.jpg
	Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Chordata;
Class:	Mammalia;
Order:	Primates;
Suborder:	Haplorrhini;
Infraorder:	Tarsiiformes; Gregory, 1915
Family:	Tarsiidae; Gray, 1825
Genus:	Tarsius;

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The tarsiers are strepsirhine primates. They got their name because they have very long tarsus bones in their feet.

[change] Body shape

Tarsiers have enormous eyes and long feet. Their feet have very long bones. Tarsiers are nocturnal. They primarily eat insects, and catch insects by jumping at them. They are also known to eat birds and snakes. Pregnancy takes about six months. Tarsiers give birth to single offspring.

Once found in Asia, Europe and North America, tarsiers are now only found on several Southeast Asian islands including the Philippines, Sulawesi, Borneo, and Sumatra.

They also have the longest continuous fossil record of any primate. The fossil record suggests that their dental pattern and shape hasn't changed in 45 million years.

Unlike many nocturnal animals, tarsiers lack a light-reflecting area (tapetum lucidum) of the eye. They also have a fovea, atypical for nocturnal animals.

The tarsier is also known to be the inspiration for the famous movie character Yoda of Star Wars due to its small size but excellent hunting skills. Tarsiers can catch prey like birds even if they are in motion as the tarsiers jump from tree to tree to catch their prey.

[change] Conservation status

One tarsier species, Dian's Tarsier (Tarsius dentatus), is listed by on the IUCN Red List as being "lower Risk - Conservation Dependent". Two other species/sub-species, Horsfield's Tarsier (Tarsius bancanus), Tarsius bancanus bancanus, are listed as "Lower Risk - Least Concern". The Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) is categorized as "Lower Risk, Not Threatened." All other tarsier species are listed as "Data Deficient".