The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta or Carlito syrichta) goes by the local name Maumag in Cebuano or Visayan and Mamag in Luzon. It is a protected species and although the practice of catching and selling them has already stopped, they remain threatened because their natural habitat is being destroyed. It is called as such because of its elongated “tarsus” or ankle bone just like the other members of the 45 million year old family Tarsiidae.
In 1986, 1988, and 1990, the tarsier was declared Endangered by the IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. On September 13, 1991, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued Administrative Order 48 declaring it as an endangered species and is likely to become extinct if the causal factors remain operational. In 1996, Baillie and Groombridge assessed it as a Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent.
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