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The Tarsiers
By Colin Griffith
On our visit to Bohol, we had the privilege of seeing the rare Philippine Tarsiers. It was our second day in Bohol. We decided to get a tour of the beautiful island. Our first stop was at the Tarsier Foundation. As we exited the car, street venders selling jewelry swarmed us. The Foundation was located on a river and was shaded by lush green trees. A guide showed us into the habitat. It was a fenced in area with some trees; at first the small primates were hard to locate. Our eyes searched the branches for signs of life. We located two fuzzy balls clinging to a low branch. The Tarsiers had thick silky brown and gray fur. They have a thin tail that is bald except for a tuft of hair at the end, and is about twice the body length. They have huge eyes too, the size of large marbles. The primate gets its name from elongated "tarsus," or ankle bone which allows it to jump at least three meters from tree to tree without having to touch the ground. While we took pictures, the guide got some crickets and grasshoppers. Then we stuck them on sticks and fed them to the small animal. The tarsiers are nocturnal, so they were pretty slow because our visit was during the day. Next we got to hold them. They were only 6 inches in height so they fit right in your hand. I loved stroking the soft fur. We all laughed when they were on our heads. Seeing the endangered tarsiers was an amazing experience.
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