The Nicobar treeshrew (''Tupaia nicobarica'') is a

treeshrew The treeshrews (or tree shrews or banxrings) 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 (19 species, "ordinary" treeshrews) ...

species within the

Tupaiidae 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 ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...

where it inhabits the islands'

rain forest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. Although previously listed as an endangered species, the Nicobar treeshrew is now commonly found in its appropriate habitats. The Nicobar treeshrew was first described by

Johann Zelebor Johann Zelebor (5 February 1815, in Eggenburg, Lower Austria – 19 February 1869, in Vienna) was an Austrian naturalist, illustrator, and zoologist. Prior to 1845 he worked as a carpenter, afterwards serving as a taxidermist at the '' Natural ...

in 1868.

Habitat

The Nicobar treeshrew only occupies the Indian Islands of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar and can be found on the highest points of these two islands, 640 m above sea level. Narasimmarajan, K. 2014. Recent photographic observation of Nicobar Treeshrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) on Great Nicobar Island. Small Mammal Mail 5(2): 2-3.

References

External links

Nicobar treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica)

nicobar treeshrew
Treeshrews Mammals of India Mammals described in 1868 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{mammal-stub