Known as the “world’s smallest monkey” because of its similarity in appearance to that primate, tarsiers, along with lemurs, tree shrews, and lorises, actually are members of a more primitive suborder of Prosimii or prosimian. They are amongst the oldest land species that have existed continuously in the Philippines, dating from the early Eocene period, 45 million years ago. The Philippine tarsier has various distinctive habits and chara ...
cteristics that make it an object of both popular curiosity and scientific research. Its eyes are unique and are almost twice as big as those of humans, however, they cannot see from the corners. Its head can rotate as much as 180 degrees, so it is able to leap backward with great precision. In addition, enabled by adhesive discs on the soles of its limbs, tarsiers cling to branches either horizontally or vertically.
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