Northern treeshrew

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Northern treeshrew
Tupaia belangeri.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. belangeri
Binomial name
Tupaia belangeri
(Wagner, 1841)
Northern Treeshrew area.png
Northern treeshrew range

The northern treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri) is a treeshrew species native to Southeast Asia. [1]

Contents

In 1841, the German zoologist Johann Andreas Wagner first used the specific name Cladobates belangeri for treeshrews that had been collected in Pegu during a French expedition to Southeast Asia. These specimens were described by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1834 in whose opinion they did not differ sufficiently from Tupaia tana to assign a specific rank. [2] [3]

Characteristics

Skull of a northern treeshrew Tupaia belangeri Skull Planckendael 06112015 2.jpg
Skull of a northern treeshrew

Results of a telemetry study involving northern treeshrews showed that their body temperature varies from 35 °C (95 °F) during the night to 40 °C (104 °F) during the day. This difference is larger than in other endotherms, and indicates that the circadian rhythms of body temperature and locomotor activity are synchronized. [4]

Adults weigh 0.2 kg (0.44 lb). The maximum longevity of the northern treeshrew is 11 years.[ citation needed ]

Besides humans, the northern treeshrew is the only mammal known to willingly consume spicy food. [5]

Phylogeny

Complete mitochondrial genome data support the hypothesis of a closer phylogenetic relationship of Tupaia to rabbits than to primates. [6] This is however disputed by the more recent full genome sequencing data that places the species closer to primates (divergence ~90.9 million years ago) than to lagomorphs and rodents (~96.4 Million years ago). [7]

In medical research

The northern treeshrew has attained growing interest for use as a medical model. In 2002, an article was published describing that its primary hepatocytes could be used as a model for studying the Hepatitis C virus, which is a major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide. [8] It was also used in studies on the development of photo reception, [9] investigation of retinal cones, [10] and refractive state and ocular component dimensions of the eye. [11] Many studies have been conducted regarding eye structure, development, and vision using the northern treeshrew model because of the similarity to human eye structure and sight that is uncharacteristic of conventional small lab animals, such as rodents. [12]

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">Brain–body mass ratio</span> Measurement used for rough estimate of the intelligence of an animal

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<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.

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

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<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

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

The large treeshrew is a treeshrew species within the Tupaiidae. It is native to Sumatra and adjacent small islands, as well as in the lowlands and hills of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PDCD5</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

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<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.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Han, K.H.; Duckworth, J.W.; Molur, S. (2016). "Tupaia belangeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41492A22280884. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41492A22280884.en . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Wagner, J. A. (1841). "Das peguanische Spitzhörnchen". Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Vol. Supplementband 2. Erlangen: Expedition des Schreber'schen Säugethier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes. pp. 42–43.
  3. ↑ Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1834). "Insectivores vivant dans le continent de l'Inde ou dans le grand Archipel indien. Les Tupaias". In Bélanger, C. P.; Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I.; Lesson, R. P.; Valenciennes, M.; Deshayes, G. P.; Guérin, F. E. (eds.). Voyage aux Indes orientales, pendant les années 1825 a 1829 par M. Charles Bélanger. Vol. Zoologie, Mammifères. Paris: Arthus Bertrand. pp. 103–107.
  4. ↑ Refinetti, R.; Menaker, M. (1992). "Body temperature rhythm of the tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri". Journal of Experimental Zoology. 263 (4): 453–457. doi:10.1002/jez.1402630413. PMID   1402741.
  5. ↑ Han, Yalan; Li, Bowen; Yin, Ting-Ting; Xu, Cheng; Ombati, Rose; Luo, Lei; Xia, Yujie; Xu, Lizhen; Zheng, Jie; Zhang, Yaping; Yang, Fan; Wang, Guo-Dong; Yang, Shilong; Lai, Ren (2018-07-12). "Molecular mechanism of the tree shrew's insensitivity to spiciness". PLOS Biology. 16 (7): e2004921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2004921 . ISSN   1545-7885. PMC   6042686 . PMID   30001322.
  6. ↑ Schmitz, J.; Ohme, M.; Zischler, H. (2000). "The complete mitochondrial genome of Tupaia belangeri and the phylogenetic affiliation of Scandentia to other eutherian orders". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 17 (9): 1334–1343. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026417 . PMID   10958850.
  7. ↑ Fan, Y.; Huang, Z.Y.; Cao, C.C.; Chen, C.S.; Chen, Y.X.; Fan, D.D.; He, J.; Hou, H.L.; Hu, L.; Hu, X.T.; Jiang, X.T.; Lai, R.; Lang, Y.S.; Liang, B.; Liao, S.G.; Mu, D.; Ma, Y.Y.; Niu, Y.Y.; Sun, X.Q.; Xia, J.Q.; Xiao, J.; Xiong, Z.Q.; Xu, L.; Yang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, W.; Zhao, X.D.; Zheng, Y.T.; Zhou, J.M.; Zhu, Y.B.; Zhang, G.J.; Wang, J.; Yao, Y.G. (2013). "Genome of the Chinese tree shrew". Nature Communications. 4: 1426. Bibcode:2013NatCo...4.1426F. doi: 10.1038/ncomms2416 . PMID   23385571.
  8. ↑ Zhao, X., Tang, Z. Y., Klumpp, B., Wolff-Vorbeck, G., Barth, H., Levy, S., von Weizsäcker, F., Blum, H. E., Baumert, T. F. (2002). Primary hepatocytes of Tupaia belangeri as a potential model for hepatitis C virus infection. Journal of Clinical Investigation 109(2): 221−232.
  9. ↑ Taylor, W. Rowland; Morgans, Catherine (1998). "Localization and properties of voltage-gated calcium channels in cone photoreceptors of Tupaia belangeri". Visual Neuroscience. 15 (3): 541–552. doi:10.1017/S0952523898153142. PMID   9685206. S2CID   23937632.
  10. ↑ Knabe, W., Skatchkov, S., Kuhn, H.-J. (1997.) Lens Mitochondria in the Retinal Cones of the Tree-shrew Tupaia belangeri. Vision Research 37 (3): 267–271.
  11. ↑ Norton, T. T., McBrien, N. A. (1992.) Normal development of refractive state and ocular component dimensions in the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri). Vision Research 32 (5): 833–842.
  12. ↑ Shriver, J .G., Noback, C. R. (1967). "Color Vision in the Tree Shrew (Tupaia glis)". Folia Primatologia 6: 161−169.
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