Behavior of female Tarsius spectrumgurskyae at the primate research center breeding facility

Background: Behavioral studies are crucial for ex situ conservation because animals must exhibit natural behavior as a principle of animal welfare. To achieve this, the behaviors of animals in captivity must be compared with those of animals residing in their natural habitats to ensure that they live naturally. Aim: This study aimed to describe the behaviors of female Tarsius spectrumgurskyae in captivity to facilitate comparisons with wild individuals. Methods: The subjects of this study were three adult T. spectrumgurskyae females observed for 15 months in a captive breeding facility at the Primate Research Center of IPB University, Bogor. Results: Female T. spectrumgurskyae spend most of their time moving (45.55%) or resting (36.52%). The grooming behaviors of female tarsiers (6.52%), including autogrooming and allogrooming, were also recorded. T. spectrumgurskyae reported urination (4.11%), which exhibits sexual behavior (3.58%), eat (2.25%), vocalize (0.90%), drinking (0.30%), and defecate (0.24%). T. spectrumgurskyae consumed more crickets (73.26%) than Hong Kong caterpillars (19.02%). Because the captive breeding facility was a semiopen cage, they could still prey on wild insects, such as flying white ants, moths, lizards, and spiders, coming to their cages (7.72%). Conclusion: Based on these results, we confirmed that T. spectrumgurskyae can express its natural behavior in a captive breeding environment. However, some activity budgets, including locomotion and resting, were greater in this study than in the natural habitats due to food source availability. Modifications to the animals’ environments or changes in feeding methods may increase activity and behavioral diversity to more closely emulate wild populations.