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Tarsier vision: the science and the numbers

Cephalopachus bancanus · order Primates · Mammals: all the numbers

The tarsier has one cone type, so no colour vision in daylight.[1][2] Both eyes see the same 127° in front of it.[8]

See it on your photoBack to How does the tarsier see?
  • 1colour receptor classMeasured
  • 127°seen by both eyesMeasured

The tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus) is a mammal in the order Primates. Its eyes belong to the vision type Day dichromat mammal: two cone types (blue and yellow, so reds and greens merge), moderate sharpness and a horizontal band of sharp vision. Measured in this species: colour, field of view and night vision. Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the tarsier sees: colour receptors

Tarsier colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmTarsier: 1 receptor peak at 543 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Tarsier: 543 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has one receptor class for colour, so it sees brightness but no hue.
  • Both eyes see the same 127° in front of it (binocular overlap), where depth is judged best.
  • Activity pattern: nocturnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
1 receptor class: 543 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1][2]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
8.89 cycles per degree
median of 1 relatives in family Tarsiidae: Carlito syrichta
Estimated[6]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[7][6]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
127°
median of 1 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[8]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[8][9]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[10]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[10]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[8][9]
Total field of view
200°
median species-v1 total field of order Primates: Homo sapiens
Group default[10]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
1
median of 19 relatives in order Primates: Aotus trivirgatus, Alouatta caraya, Callithrix jacchus, Sapajus apella, Saimiri sciureus, Chlorocebus sabaeus
Group default[11]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[11]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[11]
Fovea type
fovea		Group default[11]
Night visionActivity pattern
nocturnal
mode of 8 rows (of 8 rows): nocturnal; nocturnal/crepuscular; scotopic
Measured (not re-verified)[12][13][1][14][15][16][17]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[12][18][13][1][14][15][16][17]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[19][20]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[21]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[12][18][13][1][14][15][16][17]
Rods vs cones
rod-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[12][13][1][14][15][16][17]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
69 Hz
median of 3 relatives in order Primates: Macaca mulatta, Macaca nemestrina, Homo sapiens
Group default[22][23][24]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[22][23]

All mammals side by side: Mammals: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Longcore 2023
  2. VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Veilleux et al. 2014
  7. Kirk et al. 2004
  8. Heesy 2004
  9. Heffner et al. 1992
  10. Campbell & Green 1965
  11. Kopania et al. 2025
  12. Anderson et al. 2017
  13. Wilman et al. 2014
  14. Maor et al. 2017
  15. Jones et al. 2009
  16. Schmitz et al. 2011
  17. Moura et al. 2024
  18. Borges et al. 2018
  19. Banks et al. 2015
  20. Cervino et al. 2021
  21. Guareschi et al. 2025
  22. Healy et al. 2013
  23. Inger et al. 2014
  24. Lafitte et al. 2022

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.