Pygmy treeshrew

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Pygmy treeshrew
Tupaia minor - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02511.JPG
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Scandentia
Family: Tupaiidae
Genus: Tupaia
Species:
T. minor [2]
Binomial name
Tupaia minor [2]
Günther, 1876
Pygmy Treeshrew area.png
Pygmy treeshrew range

The pygmy treeshrew (Tupaia minor) is a treeshrew species within the family Tupaiidae. [2] It is native to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. [1] The generic name is derived from the Malay word tupai meaning squirrel or small animals that resemble squirrels. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Tupaia minor is distributed in peninsular Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, the Lingga Archipelago (Indonesia), Borneo, offshore islands of Laut (Indonesia), and Banggi and Balambangan (Malaysia). From the Catalogue of Mammal Skins in Sarawak Museum, Kuching, Sarawak, more than 30 individuals of T. minor have been collected from 1891 to 1991. The specimens were mostly caught in Mt Penrisen, Mt Dulit, Mt Poi, Gunung Gading, Bau, Ulu Baram, Saribas, Kuching, and Forest Research.

The species has no fossil record. [4]

Characteristics

The pygmy treeshrew's upper body hair is banded light and dark, giving a speckled olive-brown appearance. The upper parts are buffy and often have a reddish tinge towards the rear. The tail is long and thin, and its upper side is darker than the body. [5] The limbs are equal in length and have long claws. The maximum total length is about 450 mm, half of which is the tail. [6]

Behavior, diet and reproduction

Tupaia minor is diurnal (active in the daytime). It is often seen 3 to 8 m above the ground, sometimes up to 20 m, travelling along lianas or branches of small trees. [5] They spend most of their time on the ground and in low bushes, nesting in tree roots and fallen timber. T. minor moves in a semiplantigrade posture which allows it to keep its centre of gravity close to the tree. [7] The claws on its hands and feet are quite sharp and moderately curved, which is useful for climbing.

Tupaia minor is omnivorous; its diet includes insects and fruit. Scandentia has little economic significance because they do little damage to crops or plantations. However, T. minor may be a seed disperser for several Ficus species. [8]

Litters of one to three young are born after a gestation period of 45 to 55 days. Their maximum lifespan is around 9 to 10 years. [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">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">Charles Hose</span>

Charles Hose FRGS. FLS was a British colonial administrator, zoologist and ethnologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda flying lemur</span> Species of mammal

The Sunda flying lemur, also known as Sunda colugo, Malayan flying lemur and Malayan colugo, is native to Southeast Asia ranging from southern Myanmar, Thailand, southern Vietnam, Malaysia to Singapore and Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser false vampire bat</span> Species of bat

The lesser false vampire bat is a bat found in South Asia and Southeast Asia from Sri Lanka and India in the west to Indonesia and the Philippines in the east. They live in caves and tree hollows. They are insectivorous.

<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">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">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">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">Shrew-faced squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The shrew-faced squirrel, also known as the long-nosed squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus Rhinosciurus. It is found in forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo. This peculiar, terrestrial squirrel mainly feeds on insects and earthworms. It quite closely resembles a Tupaia treeshrew in appearance, but the shrew-faced squirrel can be recognized by its shorter gape, and shorter and more bushy tail.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cassola, F. (2016). "Tupaia minor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41497A22279656. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41497A22279656.en . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Helgen, K.M. (2005). "Tupaia minor". 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. 107. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. Wilkinson, R. J. (1901). A Malay-English dictionary Kelly & Walsh Limited, Hongkong, Shanghai and Yokohama.
  4. Jacobs, L.L. 1980. Siwalik fossil tree shrews. Comparative biology and evolutionary relationships of tree shrews. New York. Plenum Press. Pg. 202-203
  5. 1 2 Payne, J.; Francis, C. M. & Phillipps, K. (1985). Mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society with World Wildlife Fund Malaysia. p. 163.
  6. Feldhamer, G.A., Drickamer, L.C., Vessey, S.H., and Merritt, J.F., 1999. Mammalogy : Adaptation, Diversity and Ecology. United States: McGraw-Hill. Pg. 202–203
  7. Lelevier, M. and L. Olson. 2005. "Tupaia minor" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 7, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tupaia_minor.html.
  8. Shanahan, M., S. Compton. 2000. Fig-Eating by Bornean Tree Shrews (Tupaia spp.): Evidence for a Role as Seed Dispersers. Wilson, D.E., and Reeder D.M., 1993. Mammal species of the world, second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press. Pg. 132
  9. Lelevier, M. & L. Olson (2005). "Tupaia minor" (On-line). Animal Diversity Web . Retrieved January 7, 2009.