Animals,  Lens-Artists,  Philippines

Visiting the tarsiers of Bohol

April 1, 2025 / 63 Comments

The Tarsier Conservation Area on Bohol Island in the Philippines is a protected area dedicated to preserving the Philippine tarsier, one of the smallest primates in the world. Known for their strikingly large eyes in a tiny body, these fascinating animals play a vital role in maintaining the island’s biodiversity and ecological harmony.

But the tarsiers are under threat, in particular from the growth in the human population. Many of the forests where they live have been cleared for farming or housing. They are also threatened by captivity, when locals capture them to keep as pets or (more often) to make money from by showing them to tourists. Tarsiers need live insects to eat, and their diet suffers in captivity. Worse, they are easily stressed by loud noises, bright lights and human contact. They’ve even been known to commit suicide by hitting their heads and thus breaking their thin skull.

The sanctuary preserves an area of forest where they can live in safety. The aims include not only conservation but also education of both locals and tourists. Visitors can observe tarsiers in their natural habitat, with pretty much guaranteed sightings at no threat to the animals.

Visiting the sanctuary

On arrival we watched a short video in which we learned among other things that their eyes are bigger than their brains, that their eyeballs are fixed but they can rotate their heads 180 degrees, and that they have just one baby at a time. And they really are tiny, averaging 85 to 160 mm (3.35 to 6.30 inches) in height.

Further information gleaned from Wikipedia on my return home includes the fact that the tarsiers, unsurprisingly with these huge eyes, have excellent night vision. In bright light those eyes can constrict until the pupil appears to be only a thin spot. But in low light or darkness, the pupil can dilate till it fills almost the entire eye. The large ears are mobile, and almost constantly moving, allowing the animal to hear any movement. The long digits have rounded pads that allow it to cling easily to trees and to grip almost any surface. I was almost as fascinated by those fingers as by the eyes!

After the video we followed a winding path through part of the forest. I wondered if we would spot the little primates among the trees. Helpfully, there were sanctuary guides along the path pointing out each spot where a tarsier was resting. Most were tucked under leaves, making them hard to photograph. I was a bit disappointed with my results but really happy to have seen them. And I did manage to get enough decent photos (with a bit of help from Topaz Denoise AI!)

I have already shared one photo from our visit. But when I saw Egidio’s Wild Lens Artists challenge I just had to share a few more along with more detailed information about the work done here to protect these adorable creatures.

I have been fortunate to be able to see so much wildlife around the world, from huge whales and elephants to tiny insects. But these tarsiers will for sure be among my fondest memories as they are just so incredibly cute!

I visited Bohol in February 2025

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