About the Western Tarsier Drawing
During a trip to Borneo in 2015, I was fortunate to see nine species of primates, including orangutans, gibbons, and proboscis monkeys. One of my most memorable encounters, however, came during a night hike when I saw the smallest of all, a Western Tarsier clinging to a nearly vertical branch.
The tiny primate was about the size of a softball and held onto the branch in almost exactly the position shown in this drawing. It looked directly at me with enormous, penetrating eyes that seemed almost impossibly large for such a small animal. Scientists generally avoid subjective descriptions such as “cute,” but sometimes there is no better word for an experience. This little guy (or girl, I didn’t check) really was extraordinarily cute.
Western Tarsiers (Cephalopachus bancanus) are nocturnal primates found on Borneo, Sumatra, and several nearby islands. They move through the forest primarily by clinging to vertical trunks and branches and then leaping between them. Their elongated ankle bones and powerful hind limbs provide the force for these jumps, while their long fingers and toes allow them to grip narrow supports.
Their enormous forward-facing eyes gather light and provide the depth perception needed to move and hunt in darkness. Because the eyes have very limited movement within their sockets, tarsiers compensate by rotating their heads dramatically to survey their surroundings – sort of like owls. They feed primarily on insects and other small animals and are unusual among primates because their diet is entirely carnivorous.
The classification of tarsiers has changed considerably. Western Tarsiers were traditionally placed with other living tarsiers in the genus Tarsius and were known as Tarsius bancanus. They are now generally placed in the genus Cephalopachus, with the Western Tarsier recognized as Cephalopachus bancanus, although the relationships and taxonomic status of some regional populations continue to be studied.
Tarsiers belong to an ancient primate lineage and are members of Haplorhini, the same broad branch of the primate evolutionary tree that includes monkeys, apes, and humans. Although they are not nearly as famous as Borneo’s orangutans, seeing one of these remarkable distant relatives of humans in the wild was an unforgettable experience.
Western Tarsiers depend on forests and other densely vegetated habitats that provide suitable places for shelter, hunting, and movement. Forest clearing, fragmentation, fires, and conversion of natural habitat to agriculture can isolate populations and reduce the vegetation they need to travel and forage.
In Little Gymnast, I portrayed a Western Tarsier gripping a nearly vertical branch with its elongated fingers and toes. Its enormous eyes, alert expression, and compact body recreate the posture and extraordinary gaze of the animal I encountered during that nighttime hike in Borneo.
Little Gymnast is a graphite wildlife drawing of a Western Tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.