Mammals · Scandentia · Tupaiidae

Lesser Treeshrew

Tupaia minor

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The lesser treeshrew — known in Spanish as musaraña arborícola menor or tupaya menor — is a small scandentian of South East Asia, more arboreal than its relatives: it moves along vines and slender branches of the middle storey rather than on the ground. It eats insects, fruit and nectar. Like all treeshrews it is neither a shrew nor a primate, but a member of an order of its own evolutionarily very close to the primates, with which it shares a surprising system of rearing young.

Weight

30 g – 70 g

Size

11 cm – 14 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestOmnivore Diurnal In pairs Rainforest Mammal

9countries 12parks2same family

Fun facts

Treeshrews practise the most absentee system of rearing known in any mammal: the mother visits her young's nest once every 48 hours, suckles them for a few minutes on an extraordinarily rich milk and leaves, with no further contact.
It can consume fermented fruit and nectar with an alcohol content that would intoxicate a mammal of its size without turning a hair, thanks to an exceptionally efficient ethanol metabolism.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Middle storey and canopy of primary and secondary rainforest in insular South East Asia
Sexual maturity: 2 months
Gestation / incubation: 50 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupaia_minor