Actual pointed squirrels
| Actual pointed squirrels | ||||||||||||
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Common picky squirrel ( Tupaia sp.) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tupaia | ||||||||||||
| Raffles , 1821 |
The actual pointed squirrel or actual Tupajas ( Tupaia ) are a genus of mammals from the family of the pointed squirrels (Tupaiidae). They are the best known and, with almost 20 species, also the most diverse genus in their family. The common pointed squirrel ( Tupaia glis ) is one of them.
description
From the other species of pointed squirrel, the actual pointed squirrel differ mainly in their sparse hair, the bushy tail and the small ears. Their fur color varies from reddish brown to olive green to gray, with the underside being a little lighter in color. Like all shrews, they have a long snout. Actual shrews reach a head body length of 14 to 23 centimeters, with the tail being about the same length, and a weight of 100 to 300 grams.
distribution
The distribution area of the actual pointed squirrel stretches from eastern India and Nepal through Southeast Asia and the Philippines to the islands of Borneo and Bali .
Way of life
These animals mainly live in forests, but some species can also be found in plantations and sometimes even gardens. Like most shrews, they are diurnal. They spend the night in nests hidden in tree roots or hollow tree trunks in order to search for food during the day. Most of the species live on the ground but are good climbers.
The social behavior of these animals is likely to vary depending on the species. Sometimes you can find couples who live together in monogamous relationships and have a common territory that they mark with scent glands. Sometimes, however, it also happens that the territory of a male overlaps with that of up to three females and the male also lays claim to these three females when mating. Other species are more social and live together in groups, with only the dominant male in the group reproducing with the females.
food
Real pointed squirrels are omnivores. They consume insects and small vertebrates as well as seeds, fruits and leaves.
Reproduction
The peak of the mating season is between February and June, although they can reproduce all year round. The gestation period is around seven to eight weeks, then one to three young animals are born, which are initially naked and blind.
The animals have developed a special system of rearing their young. They build two nests, one for the parents and one for the boys. The mother only comes to the nest of the young every two days to suckle them for around 15 minutes, the rest of the time they spend alone in the nest. They open their eyes at around ten to 20 days, and at around five weeks they are weaned. Sexual maturity occurs at around three months.
In the wild, life expectancy is around two to three years, the highest known age of an animal in human care was twelve years.
threat
Habitat loss and hunting are the main threats to these animals. A total of four species are listed as endangered or threatened, with no precise data available for many other species.
The species
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Internal systematics of the actual pointed squirrels according to Roberts et al. 2011
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- The distribution area of the northern pointed squirrel ( T. belangeri ) extends from eastern India and Nepal via Myanmar and southeast China to Thailand .
- The Mentawai pointed squirrel ( T. chrysogaster ) lives exclusively on the Mentawai Islands off the south coast of Sumatra .
- The Bangka pointed squirrel ( Tupaia discolor ) is endemic to the Indonesian island of Bangka .
- The striped pointed squirrel ( T. dorsalis ) is also endemic to Borneo. A black stripe on the back is characteristic of this species.
- The Philippines pointed squirrel ( T. everetti ) occurs on Mindanao.
- The reddish pointed squirrel ( Tupaia ferroginea ) lives on Sumatra.
- The common pointed squirrel ( Tupaia glis ) lives on the Malay Peninsula south of the Kra isthmus .
- The slim pointed squirrel ( T. gracilis ) is native to Borneo.
- The Java pointed squirrel ( Tupaia hypochrysa ) is endemic to western Java.
- The Horsfield pointed squirrel ( Tupaia javanica ) lives on Sumatra, Nias , Java and Bali .
- The long-footed pointed squirrel ( T. longipes ) occurs in Malay Sarawak and Sabah on Borneo.
- The pygmy shrew ( T. minor ) is native to the south of the Malay Peninsula , Sumatra and Borneo. In contrast to most other species, it mainly lives on trees.
- The highland pointed squirrel ( T. montana ) is only found in mountainous regions in north-western Borneo.
- The Nicobar shrew ( T. nicobarica ) is endemic to the Nicobar Islands . It is considered threatened.
- The Palawan pointed squirrel ( T. palawanensis ) is native to the island of Palawan, which belongs to the Philippines . The species is considered endangered.
- The lowland shrewfish ( T. picta ) also only lives on Borneo.
- The Kalimantan pointed squirrel ( Tupaia salatena ) occurs in the south of Borneo.
- The red-tailed pointed squirrel ( T. splendidula ) occurs only in southern Borneo and on offshore islands.
- The tana ( T. tana ) is the largest species of the genus and is characterized by a black stripe on the back. It lives on Sumatra and Borneo.
The Philippine pointed squirrel was assigned to the monotypical genus Urogale , especially in the 20th century . Various molecular genetic but investigations at the beginning of the 21st century covered an embedding of Urogale in the genus Tupaia on. Therefore, in 2011 it was proposed to merge the former with the latter.
literature
- Ernest P. Walker (greeting), Ronald M. Nowak (arr.): Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Mass. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (2 volumes).
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic reference . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (2 vols.).
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Trina E. Roberts, Hayley C. Lanier, Eric J. Sargis, Link E. Olson: Molecular phylogeny of treeshrews (Mammalia: Scandentia) and the timescale of diversification in Southeast Asia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 60, 2011, pp. 358-372
- ↑ a b c Eric J. Sargis, Neal Woodman, Aspen T. Reese, Link E. Olson: Using hand proportions to test taxonomic boundaries within the Tupaia glis species complex (Scandentia, Tupaiidae). Journal of Mammalogy 94 (1), 2013, pp. 183-201 DOI: 10.1644 / 11-MAMM-A-343.1
- ↑ Kwai-Hin Han and Frederick H. Sheldon: Interspecific relationships and biogeography of some Bornean tree shrews (Tupaiidae: Tupaia), based on DNA hybridization and morphometric comparisons. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 70, 2000, pp. 1-14
- ^ Trina E. Roberts, Eric J. Sargis and Link E. Olson: Networks, Trees, and Treeshrews: Assessing Support and Identifying Conflict with Multiple Loci and a Problematic Root. Systematic Biology 58 (2), 2009, pp. 257-270
