Things are not all cuteness and light as the movie develops. Tarsiers are some of the smallest primates in the world and are only found on islands in Southeast Asia. Maybe tarsiers were the inspiration for Gizmo and his buddies, until they show their evil side anyway. Or maybe not. In this photo, can you see a little sly glint in its eye??
Philippine tarsier
Tarsiers are prosimians, considered to be more primitive than monkeys and apes. Other prosimians include lorises and lemurs. Tarsiers have such big eyes because they are nocturnal and those eyes allow them to see better in the dark. The word tarsier comes from 'tarsus' or ankle bone because the tarsier has an elongated one enabling it to be a pretty darn good leaper considering its size.
Once thought to be extinct, the pygmy tarsier weighs less than two ounces and is only found in Sulawesi. Tarsiers are the only primates that are totally carnivorous. The majority of their diet is insects, but despite their size they have also been known to prey on birds, snakes, lizards and bats.
The spectral tariser is less specialized than its Philippine cousin as it lacks adhesive toes! It too is found in Sulawesi as well as the island of Selayar.
Tarsiers have elongated fingers that have nails, but two hind toes have special claws for grooming. They also have very acute auditory senses, capable of hearing high frequencies of up to 91 kHz. Perhaps in order to hear each other's high pitched voices.
Here is another video about tarsiers.
No comments:
Post a Comment