Space and substrate use in captive western tarsiers,Tarsius bancanus

Abstract

Tarsiers are considered “vertical clingers and leapers” but there are few empirical data available concerning actual substrate- or space- use patterns in any of the three species. In this paper we examine these patterns in four wild-caught, captive Tarsius bancanusmaintained in large enclosures designed to promote natural behavior. We find that this species uses space in a distinctly nonrandom manner, exhibiting a preference for midlevel heights and upright, small-diameter substrates. The observed space-utilization pattern was best explained by strong preferences for specific heights and not by the distribution of prey items, preferred substrate types,or substrate angles. Unlike wild T. bancanus,which reportedly forage consistently on the ground, these tarsiers did not forage on the floor of the enclosures despite the abundance of food there.