Above : three images of a sub-adult with
orange fur, from secondary scrub forest in
Singapore's west coast.
Adult specimen from Singapore's
central forests, with dark brown fur.
Specimen from Bintan Island, Riau Archipelago, Indonesia with reddish
brown dorsal fur, and orange-yellow belly.
A huge yawn illustrates the size of this treeshrew's gape.
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Though they
resemble squirrels, the teeth of treeshrews are arranged quite differently;
they have in the past been considered as insectivores or even primitive
primates. Now they are classified under their own order, Scandentia. The
Common Treeshrew Tupaia glis inhabits primary and mature secondary
forest, and is active in the day either on the forest floor, or amongst
fallen branches where they feed on insects and fallen fruit.
The long,
pointed snout immediately identifies this animal as a treeshrew, and this
particular species has a distinctive pale band at the shoulder. The
upperparts are brown, sometimes reddish-orange-brown or olive-brown, and the underparts
generally buffy
brown.
The Common
Treeshrew ranges from southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
to Sumatra, Riau Islands, Java and Borneo.
Order : SCANDENTIA
Family : Tupaiidae
Species : Tupaia glis
Head-Body Length : 17-24 cm
Tail Length : 17-24 cm
References : M1, M2 |
