These cute
little Tarsius monkeys are the smallest primates in the world and fit
easily in the fist of your hand. Their big saucer eyes, that stare at
you, are disproportionally larger compared to their tiny bodies. These
big eyes they need to see at night since these are nocturnal animals. They grow only to 10cm to 15cm and weigh on average about 80 grams only.
Endemic to
the Sulawesi forests, the endangered Tarsius has a small body that is
agile and can jump from tree to tree to find its food that consists of
grasshoppers and other insects. The Tarsius has a long tail that is
longer than its body, and has quite long fingers which allow them to
jump some 3 meters catching branches from tree to tree.
Its most outstanding feature, however, is that the Tarsius is the most faithful animal in existence since it takes one and one mate only throughout its entire life, and even when its mate dies, it will not take another.
Its preferred habitat in Sulawesi is the Tangkoko Nature Reserve which forests it shares with the Black Macaque monkeys, who are docile and are not afraid of people when they are approached.
The Sulawesi
Black Macaque monkeys - here called “yaki” are very social since they
live in groups and families and walk mostly on the ground. The Black
Macaques are also endangered , since it is estimated that there are only
around 5,000 left in the jungles of Sulawesi, with an estimated 2,000
living in Tangkoko. These monkeys live on leaves and fruits, but also
eat snakes and rats.
If you do not
have the time or are not adventurous enough to trek through the forest
at night, you can watch these cute Tarsius primates and the black
macaque as well as other endemic animals like the babirusa (wild boar), maleo birds, the toucan hornbill, black cuckatoos and more at the Tandurusa Zoological Garden near Bitung. (Indonesia.travel)
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