Tarsiers (Kukang Mini)

The tarsier is an extraordinary animal. Relative to weight, the tarsier has the largest eyes of all the mammals.

Fossil relatives of the tarsier have been found in Europe, North America and Africa. Now, they live only on some of the islands of Southeast Asia - the south of the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra and some of the other Indonesian islands. They have not survived well in captivity or as pets.

The tarsiers, unlike any other primates, completely refuse to eat any plant matter whatsoever. They eat mostly insects but sometimes enjoy birds, crabs, snakes, bats, etc, as long as it is something they can grab and eat its little head, crickets and grasshoppers for example. They may be eaten themselves by snakes, lizards, owls, and other birds of prey. Being nocturnal helps them avoid some predators in the dark night. If a tarsier is attacked by a predator, all of the tarsiers nearby may swarm and attack the predator

Tarsiers do like to sing with a high-pitch voice and in some species the males and females perform duets together. Different species of tarsier have different songs and singing styles and that is one way scientists can differentiate between the species.

The tarsier's flexible neck allows its head to swivel around 180 degrees to help it scan for prey or predator.
See those legs? The tarsier is an amazing jumper able to jump more than 40 times it's own body length. The hind legs can be twice the head and body length. They like to jump and cling to trees.

The tarsier has such large eyes because it is a nocturnal hunter and the large eyes help maximize the available light.

The tarsier's fur is grey, gold, ochre, sand-colored or a mix of these colors and very soft.

Tarsiers are prosimian primates of the genus Tarsius, a monotypic genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all the species living today are found in the islands of Southeast Asia.
Fossils of tarsiers and tarsiiform primates are found in Asia, Europe, and North America, and there are disputed fossils from Africa, but extant tarsiers are restricted to several Southeast Asian islands including the Philippines, Sulawesi, Borneo, and Sumatra. They also have the longest continuous fossil record of any primate genus,[citation needed] and the fossil record indicates that their dentition has not changed much, except in size, in the past 45 million years.

MORAMO WATERFALL

No other in Indonesia is quite like the Moramo Waterfall. It is unique in traversing a 2 Km plateau, with 127 separate terraced plumes, with the top of the waterfall some 100 meters above is basin pool. The falls have seven main terraces, each with its own natural bathing pool.

This combination produces clean, fresh, cool air in the shade production tropical, jungle-forest setting, which surrounds the falls. This is the perfect habitat for Southeast Sulawesi's native animals and birds. Those who love nature at its purest will find this an ideal environment. Only 65 km east of Kendari, Moramo Waterfall is easily accessible by car or by boat, crossing Moramo Bay, with wide panoramic scenery of the sea.

Moramo is an interesting tourist destination. Everybody who has visited will admit to the beauty and uniqueness of this tourist resort. It is said that this is the only natural bathing place in the province of South East Sulawesi.

This bathing place becomes unique because it's shaped by the river stream, and is located on a slope of 40 to 75 degrees. At that inclination the flow of water has formed steps of little pools. Before shaping these stepped pools, millions of cubic metres of water flowed over the protruding stalactites. The protrudes widened, formed steps, flowers and threads of clear water.

The water flows along the slope of the Mount Moramo, but the stream is not wide, at the most 10 to 25 metres. And the water does not flow that fast, so swimmers need not to worry about being carried by the stream. On the contrary, the stream adds to swimming experience.

The waterfall is claimed as the most beautiful natural wonder in the region, unique for having at least 27 terraces of cascading water. All along the trails, growing ebony trees or "Kayu Hitam", teakwood, and huge hangain banyan trees or "beringin berjejer". From the top of the terraced waterfall, the water courses down for over a hundred metres and there is a large pool for swimming at the bottom.

To get to the waterfall, you need to take a taxi from your hotel to Pasar Baru terminal, then take a bus to Moramo . The distance is about 65 km away, to the Southeastern ward of Kendari town. Another option of visiting the waterfall is, by motorized boat from Kendari harbour to Lapuko harbour on a charter. The cruising will take 1.5 hours by 15 H.P machine. However, you still need a vvehicle to go up the waterfall.

While there's no hotel, or inn yet in this bathing area, for those who need a place to gather, a shed has been built, measuring 7 x 7 metres. This is used some times to shelter during rains, or to store tourists belongings, like clothing and supplies. Inside the shed, there are also changing rooms.