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Tarsiers and a Monkey Selfie

29/7/2018

10 Comments

 
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Tarsiers. What funny looking creatures they are! A cross between Yoda and a gremlin, these small animals with big eyes and freakishly long fingers, are the smallest primate in the world.
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Unique and rare, Tarsiers are found in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi in Indonesia. When we were scuba diving in Lembeh, we were only an hour away from the Park, so couldn’t pass up the chance to view these weird and wonderful, googly eyed creatures.

However it wasn’t just the Tarsiers who left a lasting impression. Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the setting for the infamous monkey selfie lawsuit, and home to Black Crested Macaque, Kuskus, Hornbills, Kingfishers and a plethora of birds only found in Sulawesi. It’s a bird watcher’s paradise, and people come from all over the world for the rare birds found here.
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If it wasn’t the Tarsiers who were the star of the show … what was?

How did the Tarsier get its name?
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel

​​Tarsiers get their name from the elongated tarsus bones in their feet, which enables them to jump as far as 3 metres from one tree to another, which we saw for ourselves. 
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But that’s not all which is strange about this petite primate …

  • Their exceptionally long fingers look like human skeleton hands covered with fur.
  • Their eyes are the size of saucers .. not really, but they are as big and as heavy as their brain.
  • Just like an owl, their eyes cannot be rotated in their socket, instead, their head rotates 180 degrees. 
  • They are nocturnal, so have excellent night vision, but despite their large eyes, during the daytime they can hardly see. 
  • Dating back 45 million years, Tarsiers are one of the oldest primates in the world.
  • They have soft, velvety fur, a body length of 10-15 cm, and weigh around 80 grams.
  • Don’t be fooled by their cute and fluffy appearance. Tarsiers are strictly carnivorous feeding mainly on insects, and are excellent ambush predators able to grab a bat or bird out of the air.
  • Tarsiers are only found in a few places within South East Asia, and it's one of the wildlife you can see in the Philippines. All are vulnerable to extinction due to loss of habitat.

​Viewing the Tarsiers
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Endemic to Sulawesi, we saw the Spectral Tarsier. They live as a family in trees with good coverage, around six feet off the ground. As they seek somewhere safe to sleep during the day, they are easy to find when you know which tree they live in.
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At dusk, our park guide took us to hang out by a tree where a family of six were living. They were curled up in tight little balls, not too dissimilar to Gizmo from the Hollywood movie Gremlins.

: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
GIzmo the Gremlin
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
A Tarsier
​They were adorably cute. As the night sky grew darker, that’s when they come alive. We saw them jump from one branch to another, using their huge hind legs to project them.
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
A Tarsier's eyes are very sensitive, so no flash photography
No flash photography is allowed, it stresses them out due to their very shy, nervous character. They have extremely sensitive eyes, so don’t shine your flashlight directly at them. 
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
​We spent around an hour watching these adorable creatures. However, as mentioned, they weren’t actually the highlight of our visit. Let me quickly show you some of the other wildlife to be seen at Tangkoko National Park. 
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Black Kuskus (also spelt Cuscus)
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Male Green-Backed Kingfisher
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Black Tarantula
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Purple-winged Roller
Black Crested Macaque – the star of the show

The Black Crested Macaque,also known as the black monkey, are indigenous to North Sulawesi, living freely in Tangkoko Nature Reserve. The entirely jet black monkey has unusually striking red/brown eyes, but are fearless of man in Tangkoko because here, they aren’t hunted.

Despite being critically endangered, Black Crested Macaques are hunted and slaughtered for their meat. In Sulawesi they have been eaten for centuries, and are considered a delicacy by locals. Their meat can be found in Bitung town’s open market. 
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In Sulawesi they devastate crops and fields, are considered a pest and also caught to keep as pets. Even though there is an Indonesian law protecting them, the law means nothing if it isn’t enforced. If the police do catch an illegal hunter, jail time is rare, and hunters may only be given a fine. This means there is little incentive to stop what they’re doing. ​Rain forest clearing also threatens their survival.
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
Black Crested Macaque
The monkey selfie story

Have you heard of the monkey selfie story? Back in 2011, Naruto, a black crested macaque living in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, picked up photographer David Slater’s unattended camera from the ground, and snapped a selfie.

PETA tried to sue David Slater for publishing the monkey selfie, stating that it was a violation of the monkey’s copyright, and the monkey owned the right to the image. An Appeals Court determined that a monkey cannot own copyright. PETA lost the case and had to pay all of Mr Slater’s costs.

Mr Slater agreed to donate 25% of any future revenue from the now famous image to charities dedicated to protecting crested macaques in Indonesia.
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
The famous monkey selfie. Photo credit: David Starkey (or should I give credit to Naruto the monkey?)
Why was the Black Crested Macaque the star of the show? Because Sy managed to get a monkey selfie of his own!

We followed the Indonesia Tourism guideline (and I quote) “When viewing monkeys, let them approach you on their own terms. If you stoop down and avoid looking directly in their eyes they will be less inhibited. Do not chase or pursue monkeys and never feed them. No matter how innocent they may look, wild monkeys bite and carry dangerous diseases.”

Our guide informed us that there was a family of around 90 black macaques nearby, so walked to find them. We snapped a few photos from a distance as they swung from tree to tree, and rolled down the leafy embankments acting as monkeys do.
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After around 30 minutes, we decided to make our way to the tarsiers, but along the way we past the chief being groomed. 
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
The chief visiting the jungle hairdressers
​The chief obviously felt clean enough, so stood up and walked away, sitting down in front of Sy. Not wishing to intimidate the macaque, Sy silently crouched down, and whilst here took a photo with his mobile phone.
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
The photo Sy took of the chief with his mobile phone, making sure he observed monkey protocol
Unbeknown to Sy, the monkey groomer came from nowhere behind him, and plonked himself onto his shoulders. He began to groom Sy’s head, rubbed the stubble on his chin, and was looking at himself in the camera when Sy took a selfie.

Despite feeling nervous, Sy remained calm as he didn’t want to startle the macaque who, after all, was just being a curious monkey.
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Curiosity satisfied, he jumped off and ran into the forest. (the macaque, not Sy)
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
: Tarsiers and monkey selfie Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Feet Do Travel
We had a lovely couple of hours in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting this area, or diving in Lembeh.

Where is Tangkoko Nature Reserve?
Tangkoko is a 8,700 hectare Nature Reserve located in the district of Bitung, on the north of Sulawesi island, Indonesia. 
From Manado airport: Two hour’s drive 
From Lembeh island: One and a half hours.

There is a car park at the entrance along with toilets. After a few minutes of walking on a concrete path (being constructed for the impending Indonesian President’s visit), you are in a natural park, with the usual forest like growth underfoot. 

When is the best time to visit?
The best time to visit are the months of June and September, when there are less crowds and rain. It’s best to visit early morning when there is more bird and wildlife activity, or late in the afternoon.
Indonesia is a tropical year round destination with two seasons. Wet season is October to April/May, dry season is June to September, although high seasons is July and August. 

What should I wear and do I need to take anything?
Long trousers
Comfortable walking shoes/sandals
Mosquito repellent
Binoculars
Camera with long lens
Torch 
Tissues/antibacterial handwash

How much does it cost to enter the Nature Reserve? 
Entrance fee: 100,000 IDR per person
Guide (evening): 100,000 IDR per person
Guide (morning): 200,000 IDR per person

Note: Guides speak excellent English, are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the park’s birds and wildlife.

Lembeh, Indonesia Travel Facts
• A 30 day visa is given at the time of arrival in Indonesia (not for all countries, check with your embassy).
• The local currency is Indonesian Rupiah £1 GBP = 18,000 IDR
• Their official language is Bahasa Indonesia which is similar to Malaysian and throughout Indonesia in general
• If you can use just a couple of Indonesian words, this will give you big smile in return, even if you simply use “Pagi” (morning) and “Terima Kasih” (thank you), it will be hugely appreciated.
• The religion is mainly Christian.


Have you ever seen a Tarsier or had a wild monkey encounter? Tell us in the comment section below, we want to know!
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Pin this post for future reference!
Ever head of a Tarsier? These small animals with big eyes are the smallest primate in the world, and can be found in Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. With eyes the size of their brain, who wouldn’t want to see these funny looking creatures? Feet Do Travel did. #tarsier #primate #macaque #tangkoko #Sulawesi #indonesia #southeastasia #Indonesiatravel #WonderfulIndonesia #exploreindonesia #incredibleindonesia #visitindonesia #travel #traveltips #travelling #travelguides
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10 Comments
California Globetrotter link
31/8/2018 11:34:25 am

OMGosh that monkey selfie is hilarious!! And those Tarsiers are both adorbs and freakishly weird to look at!! Would be cool to see them in person! #FeetDoTravel

Reply
Rob+Ann @ TravelLatte.net link
1/9/2018 05:06:16 am

That monkey takes a better selfie than me! Love the photos Sy got, too. But the tarsiers are definitely our favorite. You nailed it - a cross of Yoda and Gizmo. Hilarious! Good story, helpful info, and great photos, Angie. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Tracy link
1/9/2018 12:18:57 pm

Loved this Angie! I have to add this to my to visit list - I love the idea of seeing both the monkeys! And wow how amazing for Sy to have an encounter like that!!! The closest I have been was in Zimbabwe when I was wandering the Zimbabwe ruins and suddenly found myself in the middle of a large troop of baboons!

Reply
Paul and Carole link
1/9/2018 01:01:33 pm

I remember reading about the selfie case and love Sly's selfies too! The Tarsiers are so cute, those eyes and the photo loving the stick made me laugh! Really informative post thanks for sharing! #feetdotravel

Reply
Anna link
1/9/2018 04:25:49 pm

I´ve never had a wild monkey encounter but the selfie story is funny, and on the photo with Sy the monkey is also clealry posing LOL I had no idea tarsiers were strictly carnivorous!!!

Reply
Urska (Sliva) link
1/9/2018 04:29:28 pm

Hahaha, what a cool photo - the monkey selfie :) made me laugh so hard. Would love to see tarsiers in their natural environment once, they are sooo cute.

Reply
Sharon link
1/9/2018 10:16:26 pm

Oh, what fun! My favorite would be the tarsiers, with those huge eyes.What a treat to get so close to these animals. This looks like a wonderful nature preserve.

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David link
2/9/2018 01:29:11 pm

How cool! You always show off such great marine life, so its nice to see some land wildlife. Tarsiers are rather weird looking aren't they and the Kuskus is quite interesting too.

Reply
Shona link
3/9/2018 11:43:41 am

Hahahaha!! I just laughed out loud. Nice build up to Sy's selfie Angie. Seriously though, I am interested in going to Tangkoko. There's so much to see.

Reply
Samantha link
3/9/2018 06:43:41 pm

Oh my! How cute! It makes for an awesome title too. My first thought was "Monkey selfie? I got to see this!" I'm very glad I did. :)

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