Species group · Mammals

Tarsiers

WAnimals has 3 species of tarsier, all in the family Tarsiidae.

3 species
1 family
13 countries
15 parks
Weight
80 g – 165 g
Length
8.5 cm – 16 cm
Lifespan
12 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of tarsiers on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

2 Vulnerable1 Near Threatened

2 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 13 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • Each of its eyes weighs more than its brain and it cannot move them within the socket, so it turns its head almost 180 degrees, like an owl.

    From Western Tarsier

  • It is the only primate in the world whose diet is entirely animal: it eats no fruit and no plant matter at all.

    From Western Tarsier

  • Its eyes are larger than its brain and it cannot move them: it turns its head 180 degrees instead.

    From Spectral Tarsier

  • It communicates in ultrasound: its calls reach frequencies far above the limit of human hearing, so a whole group can be calling without a person a metre away hearing a thing.

    From Spectral Tarsier

  • Pairs sing a duet at dawn, just before retiring to sleep, a ritual that announces the territory and keeps the group together.

    From Spectral Tarsier

  • Unable to move its eyes within their sockets, it has evolved neck vertebrae that let it turn its head almost 180 degrees, much as an owl does.

    From Philippine Tarsier

  • It eats insects and occasionally small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs and small birds.

    From Philippine Tarsier

  • It lives in lowland rainforest, bamboo stands and dense scrub on several islands of the Philippines.

    From Philippine Tarsier

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one