Large Treeshrew
Encyclopedia
The Large Treeshrew, Tupaia tana, is a mammal species of the family Tupaiidae
. It is found on Sumatra
and adjacent small islands, as well as in the lowlands and hills of Borneo
.
traits. Large Treeshrews are most abundant in primary tropical rainforest
, but are also found in swamp forest and secondary growth forest
. T.tana has many potential predators such as the marbled cat
, leopard
, and clouded leopard
.
Large Treeshrews contribute to maintenance of their lowland rainforest ecosystem
by dispersing seeds
.
(T.glis). 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, until it disappears in the darker posterior fur. The distance from the center of the eye to the tip of the muzzle is more than 37 mm in adults. 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 vision but poor daylight vision.
Their diet consists of earthworm
s and arthropod
s such as centipedes, millipedes and beetle larvae, with some fruit. Less favored arthropods include ants, beetles, spiders, cockroaches and crickets.
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.
Tupaiidae
Tupaiidae is one of two families of treeshrews, the other family being Ptilocercidae. It contains 4 genera and 19 species.-Taxonomy:*Order: Scandentia** Family Tupaiidae*** Genus Anathana**** Madras Treeshrew, Anathana ellioti...
. It is found on Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and adjacent small islands, as well as in the lowlands and hills of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
Habitat
Large Treeshrews are the most predominantly terrestrial of all tree shrew species. They are usually on the forest floor, the primary location for their foraging, although they spend part of their time in the trees. T.tana has been described as mainly terrestrial based on field observation and their morphologicalMorphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
traits. Large Treeshrews are most abundant in primary tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
, but are also found in swamp forest and secondary growth forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
. T.tana has many potential predators such as the marbled cat
Marbled Cat
The Marbled Cat is a small wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as vulnerable by IUCN as it occurs at low densities, and its total effective population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with no single population numbering more than...
, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, and clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
.
Large Treeshrews contribute to maintenance of their lowland rainforest ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
by dispersing seeds
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
.
Morphology, diet and reproduction
T.tana is slightly larger than the Common TreeshrewCommon Treeshrew
The Common Treeshrew is a small mammal in the treeshrew family Tupaiidae, and is native to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it remains common and displays some adaptability to ongoing habitat loss.- Description :The common treeshrew is one of the...
(T.glis). 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, until it disappears in the darker posterior fur. The distance from the center of the eye to the tip of the muzzle is more than 37 mm in adults. 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 vision but poor daylight vision.
Their diet consists of earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s and arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s such as centipedes, millipedes and beetle larvae, with some fruit. Less favored arthropods include ants, beetles, spiders, cockroaches and crickets.
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
Altricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
young. The fecundity of females is reduced in poor quality territories or during periods of resource scarcity.