Northern Tree Shrew - Tupaia belangeri
Habitat:
A wide variety of forests
Range:
Eastern Nepal and Bangladesh to southeastern China, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula
Activity Cycle:
Diurnal
Features:
Northern tree shrews have grayish, olive fur. Resemble squirrels, with short coarse fur and white or brown on the underbelly. The snout is pointed, the ears small and bare and the toes have claws.
Size:
5.5 to 9 inches long (from nose to base of the tail), with a tail about as long as their body.
Social Structure:
Northern tree shrews typically live in monogamous pairs. One male and one female have overlapping territories; the male will defend his territory from other males, and the female will defend hers from other females.
Life Expectancy:
In the wild tree shrews typically live for 2-3 years. In captivity, the longest lived individuals have reached 12 years of age.
Diet:
Mainly insects and fruit
Reproduction:
Northern tree shrew parents build a nest for their young, in addition to their own nest. After a gestation period of about 50 days, females give birth to between two and four young. The young are blind and hairless. Females nurse their young every two days and essentially ignore them between feedings—they do not groom them or care for their nest. The young will remain with the adults until sexual maturity, which is about 4 months.
Status:
Is listed least concern on the IUCN Red List and is in appendix II of CITES. It is also in the Red Studbook with AZA.
Interesting Facts:
- Tree Shrews have the highest brain to body mass ratio of any animal, even higher than humans.
- Tupaia comes from the Malay word “tupai” which means squirrel.
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