Question 1

True or false: Tarsier can glide between trees using skin flaps like a flying squirrel.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers are agile leapers but lack patagia (skin flaps); they jump using powerful hind legs rather than gliding.

Question 2

True or false: Tarsier is a small species of monkey native to Southeast Asia.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers are prosimians, not monkeys. They belong to the family Tarsiidae, separate from monkeys and apes.

Question 3

True or false: Tarsiers are closely related to lemurs and are native only to Madagascar.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers are found in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra), not Madagascar. They are more closely related to monkeys and apes than to lemurs.

Question 4

True or false: Tarsiers are the only entirely carnivorous primates, eating only live prey.

Accepted Answer

True. Unlike other primates that eat fruit or leaves, tarsiers are obligate carnivores, feeding exclusively on insects, lizards, and even small birds.

Question 5

True or false: Tarsiers can rotate their heads nearly 180 degrees in each direction.

Accepted Answer

True. Tarsiers have specialized neck vertebrae allowing a 180-degree head rotation, similar to owls, which helps them hunt without moving their bodies.

Question 6

True or false: Tarsiers are solitary animals that only meet to mate once a year.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers are solitary and territorial, but they do not only meet to mate once a year. They can breed throughout the year and may interact for territory defense.

Question 7

True or false: Tarsier can rotate its head nearly 180 degrees in either direction.

Accepted Answer

True. Tarsiers have unique neck vertebrae that allow almost 180-degree head rotation, a useful adaptation for nocturnal hunting.

Question 8

True or false: Tarsiers have enormous eyes that are larger than their entire brain.

Accepted Answer

True. Each tarsier eyeball is indeed larger than its brain, a unique mammalian trait giving them the largest eye-to-body ratio. Fixed eye sockets mean they rotate their heads nearly 360 degrees.

Question 9

True or false: Tarsiers are the only fully carnivorous primates.

Accepted Answer

True. Tarsiers eat exclusively animal prey such as insects, small birds, and lizards, with no plant-based foods in their diet, a trait unique among primates.

Question 10

True or false: Tarsier is a carnivorous primate that primarily eats insects.

Accepted Answer

True. Unlike most primates, tarsiers are obligate carnivores, feeding mainly on insects and small vertebrates.

Question 11

True or false: Tarsier is found in the wild only on the island of Madagascar.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers are native to Southeast Asian islands such as the Philippines, Borneo, and Sumatra, not Madagascar.

Question 12

True or false: Tarsier gives birth to litters of two to three offspring at a time.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers typically give birth to a single offspring after a gestation period of about six months.

Question 13

True or false: Tarsiers use their long fingers to tap tree bark, echolocating insects inside.

Accepted Answer

False. Tarsiers do not echolocate. Their long fingers are for gripping branches and snatching prey. They rely on sight and hearing, not sonar.

Question 14

True or false: Tarsier has eyes that are larger than its entire brain.

Accepted Answer

False. Each tarsier eyeball is roughly 16mm in diameter, similar in size to its brain, but not larger. The claim that they are larger is false.

Question 15

True or false: Tarsiers are known to communicate using ultrasonic calls that humans cannot hear.

Accepted Answer

True. Tarsiers produce vocalizations above 20 kHz, likely to avoid predators while staying in contact with their group, a rare trait among primates.

Question 16

True or false: Tarsier gets its name from its elongated ankle bones called tarsals.

Accepted Answer

True. The name 'tarsier' derives from the long tarsal bones in their feet, which are adapted for leaping.

Tarsier Trivia Questions