Northern Tree Shrew

Tupaia belangeri

Least Concern

Size: head and body are 5.5 to 9 inches with a tail is about the same length as their body.

Habitat: rainforests in the following countries: Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cambodia; China; India; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Myanmar; Thailand; Viet Nam

At the Zoo: Asia Forest Nocturnal Exhibit

Northern tree shrews are found in forests throughout Southeast Asia.  They are squirrel-like and they have a long bushy tail and a pointed snout. They lack whiskers so they have to rely on their well developed senses of vision, smell and hearing to detect prey.

They are related to the extremely secretive and much smaller desert shrew of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Northern tree shrews eat fruit, seeds and insects.

Photos by Rick LoBello