tarsier
noun
tar·si·er
ˈtär-sē-ər 
-sē-ˌā
-sē-ˌā
: any of a family (Tarsiidae) of small chiefly nocturnal and arboreal carnivorous primates of the Malay Archipelago that have large round eyes, long legs, and a long nearly hairless tail
Examples of tarsier in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Along with various tarsiers and lemurs, these monkeys were the main inspiration for my initial drawings.
—
Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
This gives tarsiers excellent night vision, just at the expense of their ability to see color well.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Animals renowned for their outstanding night vision include owls, cats, tarsiers (a tiny primate in Southeast Asia) -- and even the dung beetle.
—Matthew Solan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024
Moving them would expel too much energy, so the tarsier has evolved a head capable of rotating 180 degrees.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2022
Because the fossil indicates that the tarsier and anthropoid primate groups split before that era, the anthropoid lineage is also at least that old, says Beard.
—Sid Perkins, Scientific American, 5 June 2013
By analyzing almost 1,200 morphological aspects of the fossil and comparing them to those of 156 other extant and extinct mammals, the team put the ancient primate near the base of the tarsier family tree.
—Sid Perkins, Scientific American, 5 June 2013
Sulawesi is home to species found nowhere else, including vibrant hornbills, miniature water buffalo, tusked deer-pigs and some tarsiers, a small, nocturnal primate.
—Ian Morse, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Nov. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
This gives tarsiers excellent night vision, just at the expense of their ability to see color well.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Animals renowned for their outstanding night vision include owls, cats, tarsiers (a tiny primate in Southeast Asia) -- and even the dung beetle.
—Matthew Solan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024
Moving them would expel too much energy, so the tarsier has evolved a head capable of rotating 180 degrees.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2022
Because the fossil indicates that the tarsier and anthropoid primate groups split before that era, the anthropoid lineage is also at least that old, says Beard.
—Sid Perkins, Scientific American, 5 June 2013
By analyzing almost 1,200 morphological aspects of the fossil and comparing them to those of 156 other extant and extinct mammals, the team put the ancient primate near the base of the tarsier family tree.
—Sid Perkins, Scientific American, 5 June 2013
Sulawesi is home to species found nowhere else, including vibrant hornbills, miniature water buffalo, tusked deer-pigs and some tarsiers, a small, nocturnal primate.
—Ian Morse, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Tarsier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarsier. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tarsier
noun
tar·si·er
ˈtär-sē-ər
-sē-ˌā
-sē-ˌā
: any of several small tree-dwelling primate mammals of a group of islands of southeastern Asia that are related to the lemurs, are active at night, and have large eyes and a long tail
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share