The pygmy treeshrew (''Tupaia minor'') is a

treeshrew The treeshrews (also called tree shrews or banxrings) are small mammals native to the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. They make up the entire order Scandentia (from Latin ''scandere'', "to climb"), which split into two families: the ...

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, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The generic name is derived from the Malay 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 list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, the Lingga Archipelago (Indonesia),

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, 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 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 col ...

, Saribas,

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 Ri ...

, 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-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, 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 (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

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. ...

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 regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

; 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 (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

'' 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