Tarsier
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Tarsiers
Author: Patricia C. Wright
language: en
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Release Date: 2003
Tarsiiformes, or tarsiers for short, are a group of living species of special interest to primatologists because their combination of derived and ancient characters make them pivotal to understanding the roots of primate evolution. These small-bodied, nocturnal, solitary creatures resemble lower primates in their behavior but genetically, DNA evidence aligns them more closely with higher primates, such as monkeys, apes, and humans. These astounding creatures exhibit an ability found in no other living mammal3⁄4they can turn their heads 180 degrees in either direction to see both prey and predators. The world's only exclusive carnivorous primate, they eat live food (primarily insects, but the occasional vertebrate, such as lizards, snakes, or frogs will also do). This unique combination of behavior and anatomy makes the tarsier an especially interesting and controversial animal for study among primate behaviorists, evolutionists, and taxonomists, who view the tarsiers as "living fossils" that link past and present, lower and higher, primates in the long chain of evolutionary history. This new volume presents alternative and contrasting perspectives on the most debated questions that have arisen in tarsier studies. Top researchers bring together perspectives from anatomical, behavioral, genetic, and conservation studies in this new and exciting addition to the understanding of primate evolution. This book is a volume in the Rutgers Series on Human Evolution, edited by Robert Trivers, Lee Cronk, Helen Fischer, and Lionel Tiger.
Tarsiers
Welcome to the world of the tarsier! Many readers may never have heard of this nocturnal creature. As an arboreal animal, the tarsier spends its time in the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines. A chapter on the tarsier's body discusses its appearance, tiny size, and special features, such as its enormous eyes, long ankle bones, or tarsals, and ability to turn its around head like an owl. Other chapters cover its habitat, including a map, its life cycle, and its diet. In fact, the tarsier's diet of only live animals has earned it the nickname "world's most carnivorous primate"! Predators, including humans, are also introduced, along with threats to the tarsier's environment, such as deforestation and hunting, and conservation efforts that are in place to protect these endangered species. Full-color photographs will draw in the reader while showing off the tarsier's unique characteristics. Glossary words in bold, phonetic spellings, and an index supplement this easy-to-read text. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.
The Spectral Tarsier
Part of the Primate Field Studies series. The Spectral Tarier shares the results of long-term field study by Sharon L. Gursky with a broad audience.