The pygmy treeshrew (''Tupaia minor'') 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 family

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 native to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The generic name is derived from the

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

word ''tupai'' meaning squirrel or small animals that resemble squirrels.

Distribution

''Tupaia minor'' is distributed in peninsular Thailand, peninsular

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, the

Lingga Archipelago The Lingga Regency ( id, Kabupaten Lingga) is a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are south of the populated Riau Archipe ...

(Indonesia),

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

, 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 Mount Dulit is a mountain in Borneo. It peaks at above sea level and stands at the head of the Baram River in northern Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a western outlier of the Bornean cordillera and is largely covered with tropical rainforest. It h ...

, Mt Poi, Gunung Gading, Bau,

Ulu Baram Ulu Baram is a remote area of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is an encased alluvial plain, created in part by the Baram River. The forest is certified for logging. Most of Ulu Baram belongs to the traditional area of the Orang Ulu (Upriver People), a coll ...

Saribas Saribas is an area made up of the three main rivers in the Betong Division of Sarawak, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of M ...

Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...

, and Forest Research. The species has no fossil record.

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. The limbs are equal in length and have long claws. The maximum total length is about 450 mm, half of which is the tail.

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

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s or branches of small trees. 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 semi

plantigrade 151px, Portion of a human skeleton, showing plantigrade habit In terrestrial animals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the toes and metatarsals flat on the ground. It is one of three forms of locomotion adopted by terrestrial mammals. T ...

posture which allows it to keep its centre of gravity close to the tree. The claws on its hands and feet are quite sharp and moderately curved, which is useful for climbing. ''Tupaia minor'' is

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

; 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 ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

'' species. 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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q935284 Treeshrews Mammals of Brunei Mammals of Indonesia Mammals of Malaysia Mammals of Thailand Mammals of Borneo Mammals described in 1876 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxonomy articles created by Polbot