Nicobar treeshrew
The Nicobar treeshrew 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, 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, while the mandibular condylo–incisive length measures 39.7 ± 0.46 mm. The orbit to interorbital breadth is 0.90 ± 0.09 mm, with the orbits slightly curved in structure. The mandibular coronoid breadth is notably large, demonstrating the species' robust jaw morphology. Body measurements show relatively long head–body lengths of 193.3 ± 12.99 mm and tail lengths of 226.1 ± 10.02 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.