Nicobar treeshrew

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Species of mammal

title: "Nicobar treeshrew" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["treeshrews", "mammals-of-india", "mammals-described-in-1868", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Species of mammal" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicobar_treeshrew" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of mammal ::

| name = Nicobar treeshrew | image = Nicobar Treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica nicobarica).jpg | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | status2 = CITES_A2 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = | genus = Tupaia | species = nicobarica | authority = (Zelebor, 1868) | synonyms = | range_map = Nicobar Treeshrew area.png | range_map_caption = Nicobar treeshrew range

The Nicobar treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica) is a species of small, non-volant mammal. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of the Andaman Sea, India. where it inhabits the islands' rain forests. Based on geographical distribution, there are two subspecies identified: T. nicobarica nicobarica from the Great Nicobar Island and T. nicobarica surda from the Little Nicobar Island.

It is threatened by habitat loss, anthropogenic activities, forest fragmentation, tsunami events, and predation by other animals. and is classified as an Endangered species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Despite the listing, it is commonly found in its appropriate habitats.

The Nicobar treeshrew was first described by Johann Zelebor in 1868.

Habitat

The Nicobar treeshrew only occupies the Indian Islands of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar and can be found on the highest points of these two islands, 640 m above sea level. It lives in different forest types such as scrub jungle, moist deciduous forests, and montane sholas.

Description

Morphologically, the Nicobar treeshrew resembles the squirrel and the mongoose, with an elongated snout, hairless and moist nasal pad, and lack of whiskers on their cheeks.

It possesses distinct craniomandibular and body characteristics that differentiate it from other South Asian treeshrews. Its lambdoid–premaxillary length averages 53.7 ± 0.79 mm (range 52.4–54.9 mm), while the mandibular condylo–incisive length measures 39.7 ± 0.46 mm (range 39.1–40.3 mm). The orbit to interorbital breadth is 0.90 ± 0.09 mm (range 0.80–1.09 mm), with the orbits slightly curved in structure. The mandibular coronoid breadth is notably large (3.47 ± 0.26 mm, range 3.02–3.85 mm), demonstrating the species' robust jaw morphology. Body measurements show relatively long head–body lengths of 193.3 ± 12.99 mm (range 180–224 mm) and tail lengths of 226.1 ± 10.02 mm (range 210.5–240 mm). The species displays a dorsal bicolor pelage and an average body weight of about 170 g, which helps with its identification as a comparatively large treeshrew among other treeshrews species.

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic analyses indicate that T. nicobarica diverged from a common ancestor of the Tupaiidae lineage approximately 12–19 million years ago, during the Miocene. This suggests a long period of isolation in the Nicobar Islands. Further genetic studies based on 16S rRNA genes (1667 bp) showed significant genetic variability between T. nicobarica and other Tupaia species, which supports the fact that it is endemic to the Nicobar islands. It also demonstrated that T. nicobarica is related to T. minor, T. tana, T. splendidula, and T. montana, present in Thailand, Peninsular and East Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Sumatra, and Indonesia, including T. javanica, located in Sumatra and Java islands, as a sister specie to T. nicobarica.

Ecology and behavior

The Nicobar treeshrew lives primarily in trees and ground, but it can also exhibit scansorial habits, which demonstrates diversity in its behavior. The Nicobar treeshrew is insectivorous and frugivorous, feeding mainly on insects and fruits. It also contributes to seed dispersal in tropical forests, playing an important ecological role in renewal of forest ecosystems. T. nicobarica has a small social structure. It is most often observed as solitary individuals or breeding pairs that forage and rest together. In its natural habitat, the species is known to be preyed upon by sparrowhawks (Accipiter spp.).

References

References

  1. (2016). "''Tupaia nicobarica''".
  2. (2020-04-02). "Molecular investigation of non-volant endemic mammals through mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from Andaman and Nicobar archipelago". Mitochondrial DNA Part B.
  3. {{MSW3 Helgen
  4. (2022-01-18). "Complete mitogenome of the endangered and endemic Nicobar treeshrew (Tupaia nicobarica) and comparison with other Scandentians". Scientific Reports.
  5. (2018). "Mammals of Andaman and Nicobar Islands". Springer.
  6. (2004-05-21). "Fauna of Protected Areas - 8: Non-volant small mammals of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, Andhra Pradesh". Zoos' Print Journal.
  7. (2008). "Ecology and Behaviour of an endemic treeshrew ''Tupaia nicobarica'' Zelebor 1869 on Great Nicobar Island, India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
  8. Zelebor, J. (1868). [http://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/cache.off?id=5363&tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=32604&tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=23 ''Cladobates Nicobaricus'']. In: Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde. Zoologischer Theil, Band 1 Säugethiere. Wien: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften. Pp. 17–19.
  9. (2014). "Recent photographic observation of Nicobar Treeshrew ''Tupaia nicobarica'' (Zelebor, 1869) on Great Nicobar Island". Small Mammal Mail.
  10. (2025). "Museum Specimens Reveal the Taxonomic Distinctions Among South Asian Treeshrews". Ecology and Evolution.
  11. (2010-06-23). "Shrewd alliances: mixed foraging associations between treeshrews, greater racket-tailed drongos and sparrowhawks on Great Nicobar Island, India". Biology Letters.

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