Scandentia is anorder of smallmammals. Members of this order are called scandentians, or treeshrews. They are primarily found in Southeast Asia, with theMadras treeshrew instead in mainland India. They range in size from theBornean smooth-tailed treeshrew, at 11 cm (4 in) plus a 9 cm (4 in) tail, to thestriped treeshrew, at 23 cm (9 in) plus a 13 cm (5 in) tail. They generally live in forests, and primarily eat insects and fruit. No population estimates have been made for any scandentian species, though theNicobar treeshrew is categorized asendangered.
The twenty-threeextant species of Scandentia are grouped into twofamilies:Tupaiidae, which contains twenty-two species within threegenera, andPtilocercidae, which contains a single species, thepen-tailed treeshrew. Only a few extinct scandentian species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.[1]
Conservation status | |
---|---|
EX | Extinct (0 species) |
EW | Extinct in the wild (0 species) |
CR | Critically endangered (0 species) |
EN | Endangered (1 species) |
VU | Vulnerable (1 species) |
NT | Near threatened (0 species) |
LC | Least concern (15 species) |
Other categories | |
DD | Data deficient (6 species) |
NE | Not evaluated (0 species) |
Theauthor citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the scandentian's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by adagger symbol "†".
The order Scandentia consists of twofamilies:Tupaiidae, which contains twenty-two species within threegenera, andPtilocercidae, which contains a single species. Many of these species are further subdivided into subspecies. This does not includehybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.
FamilyPtilocercidae
FamilyTupaiidae
The following classification is based on the taxonomy described byMammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since usingmolecular phylogenetic analysis.[2]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
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Pen-tailed treeshrew | P. lowii Gray, 1848 Two subspecies
| Southeast Asia![]() | Size: 13–14 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 16–19 cm (6–7 in) tail[3] Habitat: Forest[4] Diet: Insects and fruit[3] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Madras treeshrew | A. ellioti (Waterhouse, 1850) | India![]() | Size: 16–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 16–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[5] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[6] Diet: Insects, other invertebrates, and fruit[5] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew | D. melanura (Thomas, 1892) Two subspecies
| NorthernBorneo![]() | Size: 11–15 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[7] Habitat: Forest[8] Diet: Fruit and insects[9] | DD
|
Northern smooth-tailed treeshrew | D. murina (Schlegel,Müller, 1843) | Mainland Southeast Asia![]() | Size: About 12 cm (5 in) long, plus 4–5 cm (2 in) tail[10] Habitat: Forest[11] Diet: Fruit, arthropods, and small vertebrates[10] | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bangka Island treeshrew | T. discolor Lyon, 1906 | Bangka Island, Indonesia![]() | Size: 13–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[13] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | DD
|
Common treeshrew | T. glis (Diard, 1820) | Southeast Asia![]() | Size: 13–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[15] Diet: Insects, other arthropods, and fruit[12] | LC
|
Golden-bellied treeshrew | T. chrysogaster Miller, 1903 | Mentawai Islands, Indonesia![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[17] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | VU
|
Horsfield's treeshrew | T. javanica Horsfield, 1822 | Western Indonesia![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[18] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | LC
|
Javan treeshrew | T. hypochrysa Thomas, 1895 | Java, Indonesia![]() | Size: 13–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[19] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | DD
|
Kalimantan treeshrew | T. salatana Lyon, 1913 | Southern Borneo, Indonesia![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[20] Diet: Termites and ants[20] | DD
|
Large treeshrew | T. tana Raffles, 1821 Fifteen subspecies
| Southeast Asia![]() | Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus 17 cm (7 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[21] Diet: Insects and other invertebrates, as well as fruit[22] | LC
|
Long-footed treeshrew | T. longipes Thomas, 1893 | Borneo![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[23] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | LC
|
Mindanao treeshrew | T. everetti Thomas, 1892 | Mindanao, Philippines![]() | Size: 17–22 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 11–18 cm (4–7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[25] Diet: Small animals, insects, fruit, vegetables, and eggs[24] | LC
|
Mountain treeshrew | T. montana Thomas, 1892 Two subspecies
| Northern Borneo![]() | Size: About 20 cm (8 in) long, plus 18 cm (7 in) tail[26] Habitat: Forest[27] Diet: Omnivorous[28] | LC
|
Nicobar treeshrew | T. nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) Two subspecies
| Nicobar Islands, India![]() | Size: About 14 cm (6 in) long, plus 18 cm (7 in) tail[29] Habitat: Forest[30] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[14] | EN
|
Northern treeshrew | T. belangeri (Wagner, 1841) Two subspecies
| Southeast Asia![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[31] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[32] Diet: Insects as well as fruit[31] | LC
|
Painted treeshrew | T. picta Thomas, 1892 Two subspecies
| Borneo![]() | Size: About 21 cm (8 in) long, plus 15 cm (6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Forest[34] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | LC
|
Palawan treeshrew | T. palawanensis Thomas, 1894 | Palawan, Philippines![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[35] Diet: Insects and fruit[28] | LC
|
Pygmy treeshrew | T. minor Günther, 1876 Four subspecies
| Southeast Asia![]() | Size: 11–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 13–17 cm (5–7 in) tail[36] Habitat: Forest[37] Diet: Small animals, fruit leaves, seeds, and carrion[36] | LC
|
Ruddy treeshrew | T. splendidula Gray, 1865 Five subspecies
| Southern Borneo![]() | Size: About 18 cm (7 in) long, plus 14 cm (6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Forest[38] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | LC
|
Slender treeshrew | T. gracilis Thomas, 1893 Three subspecies
| Borneo and nearby islands![]() | Size: 12–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest[39] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | LC
|
Striped treeshrew | T. dorsalis Schlegel, 1857 | Borneo![]() | Size: 14–23 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[40] Habitat: Forest[41] Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds, and leaves[40] | DD
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Sumatran treeshrew | T. ferruginea Raffles, 1821 | Sumatra andTanahbala, Indonesia![]() | Size: 13–21 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[42] Diet: Fruit and insects[14] | DD
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