Slender pointed squirrel
| Slender pointed squirrel | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tupaia gracilis | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1893 |
The slender pointed squirrel ( Tupaia gracilis ) occurs on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, but is absent in the central highlands of the island and in the southeast. The animal also lives on the Karimata Islands and possibly also on Belitung and Bangka
features
The slender pointed squirrel is a small species of pointed squirrel and reaches a head-trunk length of 13.5 to 15 cm, has a 15.5 to 18 cm long tail, and has an average weight of 70 g. The hind feet are 38 to 41 mm long and the ears are 11 to 14 mm long. The skull is small and delicate, the tail is long and bushy. The back fur is aguti-colored (ie the hair is banded) gray or brown. The belly is light, whitish or ivory in color. The slender pointed squirrel can easily be confused with the very similar dwarf pointed squirrel ( Tupaia minor ) that also occurs on Borneo . Both species are small and dainty and inhabit lowland rainforests.
Way of life
The slender pointed squirrel occurs in primary and secondary lowland rainforests up to an altitude of 1200 meters. It is territorial, diurnal, predominantly terrestrial (ground dwelling) and climbs in trees and bushes up to a maximum height of three meters. The territory used by one specimen is on average 10.5 hectares (7 to 15 hectares), which is larger than the territory of other species of pointed squirrel. The territories of males and females do not overlap. Based on the data of repeatedly recaptured animals, they cover an average distance of 1,650 m every day. The slender pointed squirrel feeds on caterpillars, ants, grasshoppers and other insects that it looks for in the fall foliage. Slender shrews are likely to breed year-round. They build their nests consisting of leaves and plant fibers in tree hollows and between creepers at a maximum height of 1.5 meters above the forest floor. They are only slightly camouflaged and quite conspicuous compared to the nests of other shrews. The females get two young animals per litter.
Danger
The slender pointed squirrel is far less common than other species of pointed squirrel on Borneo. The IUCN currently estimates the population of the slender picky squirrel as safe (Least Concern). However, since the population is decreasing due to the clear-cutting of the lowland rainforests, the hazard category could change to the negative in the next 5 to 10 years.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Melissa Hawkins: Family Tupaiidae (Treeshrews). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4 , pp. 242–269 (p. 267)
- ↑ Konstans Wells, Maklarin B. Lakim and Martin Pfeiffer: Movement Patterns of rats and treeshrews in bornean rainforest inferred from mark-recapture data. Ecotropica 14, 2008, pp. 113-120
- ↑ Tupaia gracilis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Han, KH Stuebing, R., 2016. Retrieved on June 12 of 2019.