For a moment I thought I met real Gremlins!  Introducing the extremely rare Philippine Tarsier, one of the smallest primates on earth.

In this post, I’ll share facts about these curious creatures. Some call them the cutest “monkey” on earth.

What do you think?

Fun facts about tarsiers:

Philippine Tarsiers have enormous sized eyes, which are as large as their brains.

Nocturnal

Also, tarsiers are very shy nocturnal animals. Despite that, I managed to get a few photos for you. Look at those eyes!

Tarsier diet

The their diet is nearly exclusively insects. Tarsiers catch insects by jumping at them. On occasion these little guys also eat birds, snakes, bats, and lizards.

They Jump!

Also, they’re quick jumpers. Tarsiers look asleep at one moment, and then jump to another branch the next.

So small!

As you can see, they’re is really tiny. This tarsier fit in my hands!  They typically measure just 4-6 inches.

Rotation – Tarsier eyes are too big to move in their sockets. Instead they rotate their head 180 degrees. This makes them similar to an owl.

Tarsiers are Endangered

The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta or Carlito syrichta) is an endangered species endemic to the Philippines.  The tarsier species is believed to be 45 million years old.

Where to find Philippine Tarsiers

Tarsiers are indigenous to Southeast Asia; Bohol is one of just a few islands where the Philippine Tarsier can be found.

They say your visit to Bohol is not complete without seeing the famous Philippine Tarsier, and I’d have to agree. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen (besides Gizmo from the Gremlins!).

More info on Wikipedia , Bohol.ph, and here.