3. Order Scandentia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Eutheria
Superorder: Euarchontoglires
Order: Scandentia
Families:
Ptilocercidae (pen-tailed treeshrews)
Tupaiidae (treeshrews)
4. General Characters
• The treeshrews are small mammals
native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.
• There are 20 species in 5 genera.
• They have higher brain to body mass ratio
than any other mammals.
• They are not true shrews
• They were previously classified in the
Insectivora
• Not all species are arboreal.
• Among other things, they eat Rafflesia fruit.
• Treeshrews are closely related to primates,
and have been used as an alternative to
primates in experimental studies of stress and
hepatitis.
5. General Characteristics
•Treeshrews are slender animals.
•Have long tails and soft, greyish to reddish-brown fur.
•The terrestrial species tend to be larger than the arboreal forms
•Have larger claws, which they use for digging up insect prey.
•They are omnivorous, feeding on insects, small vertebrates, fruit,
and seeds.
•They have poorly developed canine teeth and unspecialised
molars.
•Have good vision
•Most are diurnal
•The Pen-tailed Treeshrew is nocturnal.
6. • These animals live in small family groups, which defend
their territory from predators.
• They mark their territories using various scent
glands, or urine,
depending on the
particular species.
8. Habitat
The common treeshrew (Tupaia glis) is native to
– Thailand,
– Malaysia and adjacent coastal islands to
Singapore.
– Indonesia. (islands of Batu, Sumatra, Java etc)
– They have also been recorded from secondary
forest, plantations, fruit orchards, and trees near
housing areas.
9. Description
• The common treeshrew is one of the largest among treeshrews.
• Average body length is between 16 and 21 cm (6.3 and 8.3 in)
• Average weight is around 190 g.
• Its colours is reddish-brown, greyish or black upper parts and
whitish belly.
• Its long, bushy tail is dark greyish-brown and almost reaches the
length of the body.
• The paws are bare with sharp nails, and with a naked patch of
skin above its long nose.
• Both sexes are similar.
• The measurements of the T. glis according to 21
specimens are head-to-body length: 170 to 235 mm,
• tail length: 170 to 242 mm
• hind foot: 45 to 56 mm.
• The common treeshrew usually has a pale stripe
on each shoulder.
10. Ecology and behavior
• Common treeshrews are active
during the day, and forage for food
alone or in pairs, mainly on the
ground, among shrubs and tree
holes.
• They feed on fruits, seeds, leaves,
and insects, especially ants and
spiders.
• They are also reported to catch
lizards.
• They climb both large vertical tree
trunks and bushes, and occasionally
jump from stems of a young tree to
that of another as much as 60 cm
(24 in) away.
11. Threats
• Common treeshrews are threatened due to
deforestation and ensuing human activities in
agriculture, plantations, and commercial logging.
• Moreover, other pressures, such as hunting for food
and sport, can create pressure to the species.
12. In science
• Tupaia glis is being used by researchers as animal
models for human diseases because of their close
relationship to primates, and their well-developed
senses of vision and hearing.
• Research studies have included hepatitis.
• Another instance has been documented where an
individual of Tupaia glis developed breast cancer.
14. Habitat
• The pen-tailed treeshrew (Ptilocercus lowii) is a
treeshrew species of the Ptilocercidae family, and is
the only species in the genus Ptilocercus.
• It is native to
– southern Thailand
– Malay Peninsular
– Borneo
– some Indonesian islands.
16. Range and habitat
• It is found, as its name suggests,
• in Mindanao, in the Philippines.
• It lives in rain forests and montane forests
17. Description
• It is the heaviest treeshrew, weighing about 355 g
• It is terrestrial.
• The body is 17-20 cm, and the tail is 11-17 cm.
• It has a particularly elongated snout and a rounded,
even-haired tail.
• The fur is brownish, but with orange or yellow
underparts.
• It is diurnal in its habits, and it climbs well and runs
fast on the ground.
18. Diet
• Its diet is varied.
• It includes
– insects
– Lizards
– Young birds
– Bird's eggs
– Fruit
19. Reproduction
• It is thought that in the wild, it nests on the ground,
or on cliffs.
• Their breeding habits have been observed in
captivity, where:
• They have gestation period of 54-56 days.
• Females have produced 1 or 2 young
21. 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.
• It is found in
– Sumatra and adjacent small islands
– In the lowlands and hills of Borneo
– Large treeshrew are most abundant
in primary tropical rainforest, but are also found in
swamp forest and secondary growth forest.
22. Morphology
• T. tana is slightly larger than the common treeshrew
• 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
• The body size measurements of this species are:
– head and body, 165–321 mm
– tail, 130–220 mm
– hind foot, 43–57 mm.
• The weight is 154-305 g.
• T. tana has sensitive hearing and large eyes that give it
acute night visionbut poor daylight vision.
23. Diet
• Their diet consists of earthworms and arthropods such as
– centipedes
– millipedes
– beetle larvae
– some fruit.
– Less favored arthropods include
• ants,
• beetles,
• spiders,
• cockroaches
• crickets.
24. 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.