Large treeshrew

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Large treeshrew
Tupaia tana - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02515.JPG
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Scandentia
Family: Tupaiidae
Genus: Tupaia
Species:
T. tana [2]
Binomial name
Tupaia tana [2]
Raffles, 1821
Large Treeshrew area.png
Large treeshrew range

The large treeshrew (Tupaia tana) is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. [2] It is native to Sumatra and adjacent small islands, as well as in the lowlands and hills of Borneo. [3]

Contents

Habitat

Large treeshrews are the most predominantly terrestrial of all treeshrew species. They are usually on the forest floor, the primary location for their foraging, although they spend part of their time in trees. [4] T. tana has been described as mainly terrestrial based on field observations and their morphological traits. [5] [6] [7] Large treeshrews are most abundant in primary tropical rainforest, but are also found in swamp forest and secondary growth forest. T. tana has many potential predators such as the marbled cat, leopard, and clouded leopard.

Large treeshrews contribute to maintenance of their lowland rainforest ecosystem by dispersing seeds.

Description

Tupaia tana is slightly larger than the common treeshrew (T. glis). [4] The dorsal fur is reddish brown, shading to nearly black at the rear. There is a black stripe running from the neck half to two thirds of the way down the back, until it disappears in the darker posterior fur.

The body size measurements of this species are:

The snout is long: the distance from the center of the eye to the tip of the muzzle is more than 37 mm (1.5 in) in adults. [3]

Tupaia tana has sensitive hearing and large eyes that give it acute night vision [8] but poor daylight vision.

Diet

Their diet consists of earthworms and arthropods such as centipedes, millipedes and beetle larvae, with some fruit. [3] Less favored arthropods include ants, beetles, spiders, cockroaches and crickets.

Reproduction

The average age of reproductive maturity for both males and females is around one year of age. The female almost always gives birth to two altricial young. The fecundity of females is reduced in poor quality territories or during periods of resource scarcity. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treeshrew</span> Order of mammals

The treeshrews are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia, which split into two families: the Tupaiidae, and the Ptilocercidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indomalayan realm</span> One of the Earths eight ecozones

The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The Madras treeshrew, also known as the Indian treeshrew, is a species of treeshrew in the monotypic genus Anathana found in the hill forests of central and southern India. The genus name is derived from the Tamil name of moongil anathaan and the species name is after Sir Walter Elliot of the Indian Civil Services in Madras.

<i>Nepenthes macrophylla</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes macrophylla, the large-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant known only from a very restrictive elevation on Mount Trusmadi in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The common treeshrew is a small mammal in the treeshrew family Tupaiidae, and is native to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it remains common and displays some adaptability to ongoing habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda clouded leopard</span> Species of carnivore

The Sunda clouded leopard is a medium-sized wild cat native to Borneo and Sumatra. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2015, as the total effective population probably consists of fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with a decreasing population trend. On both Sunda Islands, it is threatened by deforestation. It was classified as a separate species, distinct from the clouded leopard in mainland Southeast Asia based on a study in 2006. Its fur is darker with a smaller cloud pattern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew is a species of treeshrew in the family Tupaiidae. It is endemic to Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-tailed treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The pen-tailed treeshrew is a treeshrew of the family Ptilocercidae native to southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and some Indonesian islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slender treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The slender treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is native to Borneo and inhabits foremost lowland old forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsfield's treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

Horsfield's treeshrew, also called Javan treeshrew, is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Bali, Java and Nias where it inhabits foremost primary forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The pygmy treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the family Tupaiidae. It is native to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The generic name is derived from the Malay word tupai meaning squirrel or small animals that resemble squirrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The mountain treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is endemic to Borneo and inhabits montane forests in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindanao treeshrew</span> Species of mammal

The Mindanao treeshrew, also called the Philippine tree shrew, is a species of treeshrew endemic to the Mindanao region in the Philippines. It was formerly considered the only member of the genus Urogale, but that genus was merged into Tupaia when the species was found to nest within the latter genus in a molecular phylogeny. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.

<i>Tupaia</i> (mammal) Genus of mammals

Tupaia is a treeshrew genus in the family Tupaiidae that was first described by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1821. The name of this genus derives from the Malay word tupai meaning squirrel or small animal resembling a squirrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupaiidae</span> Family of mammals

Tupaiidae is one of two families of treeshrews, the other family being Ptilocercidae. The family contains three living genera and 19 living species. The family name derives from tupai, the Malay word for treeshrew and also for squirrel which tupaiids superficially resemble. The former genus Urogale was disbanded in 2011 when the Mindanao treeshrew was moved to Tupaia based on a molecular phylogeny.

Tupaia miocenica is a fossil treeshrew from the Miocene of Thailand. Known only from a single tooth, an upper first or second molar, it is among the few known fossil treeshrews. With a length of 3.57 mm, the tooth is large for a treeshrew. At the back lingual corner, the tooth shows a small cusp, the hypocone, that is separated from the protocone in front of it by a narrow valley. The condition of the hypocone distinguishes this species from various other treeshrews. In addition, the presence of a well-developed but simple mesostyle is distinctive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda leopard cat</span> Small wild cat

The Sunda leopard cat is a small wild cat species native to the Sundaland islands of Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines that is considered distinct from the leopard cat occurring in mainland South and Southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 Cassola, F. (2016). "Tupaia tana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41501A22279356. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41501A22279356.en . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Helgen, K.M. (2005). "Tupaia tana". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. 1 2 3 Payne, J., Francis, C. M., Phillipps, K. (1985). Field guide to mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society with World Wildlife Fund Malaysia.
  4. 1 2 Yasuma, S., Andau, M., Apin, L., Yu, F.T.Y., and Kimsui, L. (2003). Identification keys to the mammals of Borneo: Insectivora, Scandentia, Rodentia and Chiroptera. Park Management Component BBEC Programme, Sabah.
  5. Emmon, L. (2000). Tupai: a Field Study of Bornean Treeshrews. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles.
  6. Wells, K., Pfeiffer, M., Lakim, M. B., and Kalko, E. K. V. (2006). Movement trajectories and habitat partitioning of small mammals in logged and unlogged rain forest on Borneo. Journal of Animal Ecology 75(5): 1212–1223.
  7. Sargis, E. J. (2001). A preliminary qualitative analysis of the axial skeleton of tupaiids (Mammalia, Scandentia): functional morphology and phylogenetic implications. Journal of Zoology 253(4): 473–483.
  8. Harwood, R. "Geology 102: Humans". Archived from the original on 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  9. Munshi-South, J. (2008). "Female-biased dispersal and gene flow in a behaviorally monogamous mammal, the large treeshrew (Tupaia tana)". PLOS ONE. 3 (9): e3228. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.3228M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003228 . PMC   2528962 . PMID   18797506.