Cephalopachus bancanus
Silhouette: Yan Wong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Horsfield's tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus) is the only species of tarsier in the genus Cephalopachus. Named by American naturalist Thomas Horsfield, it is also referred to as western tarsier. The species occurs on Borneo, Sumatra and nearby islands and is, like other members of the group, entirely nocturnal.
Although Horsfield's tarsier was usually placed in the genus Tarsius with all other living tarsiers, it is quite distinct from the Philippine tarsier and the various tarsiers of Sulawesi and nearby islands; therefore, scientists have placed it in a separate genus, Cephalopachus.
The taxonomy of this species is in doubt, with some subspecies considered unsure. In fact, over 20 years few studies have been done on C. bancanus and a taxonomic revision based upon intensive and systematic field surveys is overdue. The IUCN believes that these subspecies should be treated as distinct and named as separate taxa until more definitive evidence is available. When splitting the species into its own genus, Colin Groves and Myron Shekelle recognized the natunensis population as a distinct subspecies.
There are four recognized subspecies of Horsfield's tarsier: Cephalopachus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Horsfield's Tarsier sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 192 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April–May, July–August, October and December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Horsfield's Tarsier in Sepilok on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Horsfield's Tarsier sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Horsfield's Tarsier sightings, Sepilok ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 40%).
Same order: Primates
The closest relatives of the Horsfield's Tarsier that you can see in Sepilok (order Primates) are Bornean Orangutan (about 50%), Southern Pig-tailed Macaque (about 40%) and Proboscis Monkey (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Horsfield's Tarsier is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sepilok (192 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
