Tarsiers--Singing in Sulawesi

Tarsiers--Singing in Sulawesi Not long ago, villagers neighboring Lore Lindu National Park on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia thought they were hearing ghosts. The haunting duets that came from nearby forests were a mystery until the late 1970's when researchers identified the eerie cries as coming from the spectral tarsier. These gremlin-like creatures, one of the world's smallest primates, use the intricate song to defend their territory. In the morning, just before the nocturnal animals retire to their nests, the whole family performs a territorial call. The song sends a clear message to neighboring tarsiers that the mated pair is present, and has claimed the surrounding area for its living space.

Tarsiers live in groups composed of an adult pair, who form long-term monogamous relationships, and one or two of their immature offspring. They are the only primate that eat nothing but live prey, spending more than half their night hunting insects and small reptiles. Despite their size, only about six-inches and 3.5 ounces, powerful hind limbs enable them to leap six feet through trees to skillfully pin down their prey. Their enormous goggle-like eyes, sensitive ears, and extraordinary ability to rotate their head nearly 180 degrees, keep them well equipped for a nocturnal lifestyle.

Favored habitat for the tarsier, Lore Lindu National Park covers more than 570,500 acres and contains some of the largest unbroken tracts of forest within Sulawesi. In fact, the Park is one of the best places in the world to view tarsiers. Of the five species currently recognized, three species inhabit Sulawesi: Tarsius pumilus; Tarsius spectrum; and Tarsius dianae. Tarsius dianae was recently identified as a new species, and is indigenous to Kamarora, situated on the northern boundary of the Park.

The Park not only provides important habitat to many of the island's plants and animals that occur nowhere else in the world, but it also provides natural resources to help meet the basic needs of communities living in the area. Despite its value, the Park's resources are threatened by encroachment, illegal harvesting, and infrastructure development. The Nature Conservancy, in an effort to address these threats, developed a partnership with the Government of Indonesia and local communities. Together they launched the Sulawesi Parks and Partnership Program which focuses on community development, community awareness, environmental education, and park management and enforcement. Hopefully, with this program working to safeguard the Park, tarsiers will continue to find sanctuary where they have been singing their song for more than 40 million years.