Dian's tarsier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dian's tarsier |
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| Genus: |
Tarsius
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| Species: |
dentatus
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| Dian's tarsier range | |
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The Dian's tarsier (Tarsius dentatus) is a small, furry primate. It is also called the Diana tarsier. This animal is active at night. It lives only in central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Dian's tarsiers are about 11.5 to 12 centimeters (4.5 to 4.7 inches) long. Their tails are longer, around 22 centimeters (8.7 inches). They live in rainforests. Scientists first described this species in 1921.
Like other tarsiers, they are very good at climbing and jumping. They eat only live animals, mostly insects. Dian's tarsiers can change their behavior based on how much humans have changed their forest home. Small changes to their habitat do not bother them much. But big changes make it harder for them to live there.
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What is the Dian's Tarsier Named After?
The Dian's tarsier got its name in 1991. It was named to honor Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting. It also honors Dian Fossey, a famous scientist who studied gorillas.
What Does a Dian's Tarsier Look Like?
Adult Dian's tarsiers weigh about 100 to 150 grams (3.5 to 5.3 ounces). Their fur is a grayish-buff color. They have a black spot on each side of their nose. White fur is found on their middle lower lip and on both sides of their upper lip.
Where Do Dian's Tarsiers Live?
Dian's tarsiers live in the primary rainforests of central Sulawesi's lower mountains. They can also live in forests changed by humans. This includes forests where trees have been cut down. They can also be found in areas with farms, like those for coffee or cocoa.
How Do Dian's Tarsiers Behave?
How Do Dian's Tarsiers Live in Groups?
Dian's tarsiers live in small groups. A group can have two to seven individuals. Each group usually has one adult male. He lives with one to three adult females and their young. The young can be both male and female.
How Do Dian's Tarsiers Reproduce?
Female Dian's tarsiers usually have one baby each year. They can have babies at any time of the year. Young tarsiers are often left alone in a safe spot while the parents look for food. This is called "infant parking."
What Is a Dian's Tarsier's Daily Routine?
Dian's tarsiers are most active after sunset and before sunrise. After sunset, they leave their sleeping spots. They travel through their home area. At night, they hunt for food. They move less when they are hunting and eating.
Before sunrise, the male and female tarsiers sing a special song together. This song tells other group members to return to the sleeping spot. Dian's tarsiers can travel over 100 meters (328 feet) to reach their sleeping site. They do this in less than 15 minutes before dawn. They use the plants and bushes on the forest floor to move around.
How Big Is a Dian's Tarsier's Home Range?
The home areas of a male and female pair overlap. This means they share the same space. Different groups' home areas overlap only a little bit. In undisturbed forests, males have a slightly larger home range. Males use about 1.77 hectares (4.37 acres). Females use about 1.58 hectares (3.9 acres).
What Is a Dian's Tarsier's Duet Song?
Male and female Dian's tarsiers sing different parts of their morning duet song. The female usually starts the song. She sings a fast series of high-pitched notes. The pitch gets lower in the middle of the song. Here, she often makes a trill sound or long notes. The pitch then gets higher towards the end.
The male sings at the same time as the female. He sings a fast series of notes. His notes start low and end high. Their songs usually last about one minute. Towards the end of the song, the notes are spaced out more unevenly. These songs are special to Dian's tarsiers. Other tarsier species do not respond to them.
Where Do Dian's Tarsiers Sleep?
Strangler fig trees are a favorite sleeping spot for Dian's tarsiers. They sleep in cracks or holes in these trees. They can also sleep in bamboo patches or thick bushes. These spots are more common in areas where the forest has been changed.
Members of the same group sleep together in the same spot during the day. Groups usually return to the same sleeping spot night after night. However, they might change spots if the area is disturbed. Some groups use two or more regular sleeping spots. Sleeping spots are often near the edge of their home range. This might be to mark their territory with their scent.
What Do Dian's Tarsiers Eat?
Dian's tarsiers mostly eat crickets, grasshoppers, and moths.
How Are Dian's Tarsiers Protected?
The number of Dian's tarsiers is going down. The lowest number of tarsiers found in 1998 was actually the highest number found in 2000-2001. This shows their population is shrinking.
Why Is Their Home Changing?
In Sulawesi, even in places like the Lore Lindu National Park, humans are changing the old rainforests. Cutting down trees, including illegal logging, harms the Dian's tarsier's home. Other activities also affect the land. These include cutting bamboo and rattan. People also plant cash crops like cocoa and coffee. These plants are not naturally found in the area. Between 2000 and 2017, Dian's tarsiers lost 10% of their total forest home. They also lost 4% of their protected forest home.
How Do Tarsiers Adapt to Changes?
Population Density
The most tarsiers are found in undisturbed forests. There are about 57.1 groups per square kilometer. In areas with some human disturbance, the number of tarsiers is lower. These areas have about 32.9 to 38.0 groups per square kilometer. Heavily disturbed areas have the fewest tarsiers.
Home Range Size
Female tarsiers in slightly or moderately disturbed areas have smaller home ranges. This is compared to those in undisturbed areas. However, home ranges in very disturbed areas are larger than in all other habitats. Scientists think this is because slightly disturbed areas might have more insects. These areas might have more open spaces in the tree canopy, which attracts insects. The largest home ranges are in the most disturbed areas. These areas also have the fewest insects. This is likely because pesticides are used on the farms there.
Nightly Travel Distance
Males and females travel similar distances each night in undisturbed forests. But female tarsiers travel farther as human disturbance increases. Traveling farther means they use more energy. So, Dian's tarsiers use more energy in more disturbed habitats. Females usually cover more of their home range in one night in areas with low or moderate disturbance.
What Can We Do to Help?
We can help Dian's tarsiers by protecting their forest homes. Stopping illegal logging is important. Using agroforestry (farming with trees) can also help. Protecting their sleeping sites and the plants on the forest floor is also key. These actions would help Dian's tarsiers live in healthier habitats. It would also help if people knew that tarsiers eat insects, not cash crops. Reducing the use of chemical pesticides would also be very helpful.
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Dian's tarsier range
