Tiny primates of the islands of Southeast Asia with enormous eyes: each eyeball is about 16 mm across and as big as the whole brain. They cling upright to trees, leap after prey, and can turn their heads 180 degrees each way.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Its huge eyes and sharp hearing make it a very successful night hunter.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAsia
HabitatRainforest, Forest
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeTiny
Length10–15 cm, plus a 20–25 cm tail
Weight85–165 g (Philippine tarsier)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inpairs
Lives for12–20 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Maritime Southeast Asia, mainly Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
- What it eats
- Carnivore: mainly insects, caught by leaping on them.
Did you know
Each eyeball is as big as its brain and it can turn its head 180 degrees each way.
They are the only entirely carnivorous living primates.
Tarsiers have never formed successful breeding colonies in captivity.
Often confused with
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