The Tarsier, the Tiny Primate with Giant Eyes
In the forests of Bohol lives a primate small enough to fit in your palm, with eyes larger than its brain, and a head that turns almost all the way round.
What was reported
The Philippine tarsier is one of the smallest primates in the world, about 10 centimetres long. Each of its enormous eyes is about as big as its brain. It can't move its eyes, so it turns its head almost 180 degrees in each direction, like an owl, and leaps between branches at night to catch insects.
In local folklore, tarsiers were sometimes said to be the pets of forest spirits, and some believed it was bad luck to disturb them.
Explanations offered
The tarsier's huge eyes help it hunt in the dark. It's very sensitive to stress and can die from being handled or kept in noisy places, so it's protected in sanctuaries on Bohol where visitors must stay quiet.
- When
- Known for centuries
- Where
- Bohol, Philippines
- Witnesses
- Local people and naturalists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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