Tarsius sangirensis Meyer 1897
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Anthony B. Rylands
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Tarsiidae
Tarsius
Tarsius sangirensis

description: 7.
Great Sangihe Tarsier
Tarsius sangirensis
French: Tarsier des Sangir / German: Sangihe-Koboldmaki / Spanish: Tarsero de Sangir
Other common names: Sangihe Island Tarsier, Sangihe Tarsier
Taxonomy. Tarsius sangirensis Meyer, 1897,
Indonesia, Sanghir (= Sangihe) Island. This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Sangir I (= Great Sangihe, Sangihe Besar) ¢.200 km N of Sulawesi;it may occur on otherislands in the Sangihe chain.
Descriptive notes. Head-body c.15 cm, tail ¢.29.4-31 cm; weight ¢.150 g (males) and c.143 g (females). The Great Sangihe Tarsier differs from other eastern tarsiers in being rather bigger, with a broader skull. Fur is notably finer (i.e. less woolly) than in Sulawesi species and is less mottled dorsally. The Greati Tarsier is a rich golden-brown, and has a white undercoat. The gray above and lateral to the eyes is bordered by a faint brown line that dips downward between the brows forming a “V” at the root of the nose. The hair around the mouth is whitish, the tail tuft is short and sparse and the tarsal hair is sparse and inconspicuous. The skull is a little smaller than that of the Siau Island Tarsier but wider across the orbits. The Great Sangihe Tarsier has a morning duet call with a diagnostic two-note phrase.
Habitat. Secondary forest, sage swamps, scrub, and nutmeg and coconut plantations.
Food and Feeding. The Great Sangihe Tarsier eats mainly large arthropods and small vertebrates such as lizards.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. The Great Sangihe Tarsier is nocturnal and arboreal. Unlike all other tarsiers, individuals sleep on exposed bamboo, in the tops of palm leaves, or tops of trees. This is almost surely the result of habitat destruction and human disturbance, as Sangihe Island tarsiers will sleep in sites more typical of other eastern tarsiers when they are available.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, except that it lives in small monogamous or polygamous groups of 2-6 individuals.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The distribution of the Great Sangihe Tarsieris only ¢.576 km? and it has been protected under Indonesian law since 1931. The original habitat on Sangir Island has been lost, degraded, and fragmented. Primary and late succession secondary forest today is limited to a 940ha patch on Mount Sahendaruman, which has been designated “hutan lindung.” This translates deceptively as “protected forest,” but hutan lindung is in fact more of a “green belt.” The island is composed of two volcanoes, at least one of which is active, providing an additional threat. When classified as Endangered,it was believed to occur on Siau Island, but the tarsiers there have since been found to be a distinct taxon, the Siau Island Tarsier (7. tumpara). As such, it may be necessary to change their conservation status to Critically Endangered. It does not occur in any protected areas.
Bibliography. Groves (2001), Gursky et al. (2008), Riley (2002), Shekelle & Salim (2009a), Shekelle, Groves, Gursky et al. (2008), Shekelle, Morales et al. (2008), Shekelle, Mukti et al. (1997), Supriatna et al. (2001).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Tarsiidae, pp. 236-242 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 240-241, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6631893