mammals swivelling their heads

[McDonald]

Which mammals are unique in being able to swivel their heads through nearly 180 degrees in either direction?

[coggles]

The praying mantis can turn it's head 180 degrees and can see through (scan) 300 degrees!

[coggles]

and the Barn owl can turn it's head 270 degrees. It's eyes are 'fixed' in their sockets and can't move, so they rotate their head instead!

[FredPuli]

Yes, but mammals? The meerkat is my guess; it seems to look all around with little movement below the neck.

[FTVS]

I am going to guess a giraffe.

[treaclefight]

im going to guess at koala bear, but i'm obviously very wrong if they're marsupials.

[Quizmonster]

The tarsier, a tiny lemur-like monkey found in Indonesia, the Philippines etc, can do this. Click http://www.monkeymaddness.com/apes_monkeys/bbm23.h
tm for an appropriate web-page and scroll down to the second entry on the page with the heading: "Pop-eye the Prosimian".

[Cetti]

In the past, tarsiers were used as a totem animal of the head-hunting Iban people of Borneo. This was due to the fact that the Iban believed the animal's head was loose because of its ability to swivel its head 180 degrees to the right or left. Some native would not refer to the tarsiers by name because they feared if they did so then they would become haunted.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/tar
sius/t_spectrum$narrative.html

[McDonald]

Thanks all for your help - much appreciated

[coggles]

Oops! It does help if you read the question properly! Sorry, I will pay attention next time.............

[Quizmonster]

Tartan, 'The Encyclop�dia Britannica' specifically states that the tarsier can swivel its head through 180 degrees either way...it says no such thing about the meerkat.

Please understand that I am not saying Fred's 'meerkat' is wrong, but if it's right, then it's one of at least two...the tarsier being the other. Cheers