biology

Madras treeshrew

Madras treeshrew is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Madras treeshrew rather than just read about it. In short: The Madras treeshrew (Anathana ellioti), also known as the Indian treeshrew, is a species of treeshrew in the monotypic genus Anathana found in the hill forests of central and southern India. The genus name is derived from the Tamil name of moongil anathaan (literally "bamboo squirrel") and the species name is after Sir Walter Elliot of the Indian Civil Services in Madras.

Key takeaways

Madras treeshrew belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Madras treeshrew to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Madras treeshrew from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Madras treeshrew (Anathana ellioti), also known as the Indian treeshrew, is a species of treeshrew in the monotypic genus Anathana found in the hill forests of central and southern India. The genus name is derived from the Tamil name of moongil anathaan (literally "bamboo squirrel") and the species name is after Sir Walter Elliot of the Indian Civil Services in Madras.

Description

This treeshrew is 16.0 to 18.5 cm long with a tail of 16.5 to 19.5 cm. The nominate race (type locality: Eastern Ghats, Madras. British Museum 50.1.21.5) has the tail coloured like the back, the ground colour above being reddish-brown while the feet and hind legs are buff or ochraceous. The other two races have the tail coloured differently from the back. The race A. e. pallida (type locality: Manbhum, Bengal, collected by Robert Cecil Beavan British Museum 66.12.28.2) has the colour of body above reddish-brown and the feet and hind legs grizzled buffy. Race A. e. wroughtoni (type locality: Mandvi, Surat, collected by R. C. Wroughton British Museum 96.11.7.1) has the colour of body above dull grizzled brownish and the feet and hind legs grizzled greyish. Some later workers lump all the three races. Its dental formula is 2.1.3.33.1.3.3 × 2 = 38. The dentition is suited for an omnivorous diet. Some authors have suggested this species could be included within the genus Tupaia, although most have kept the genus separate based on anatomical differences.

Distribution The Madras treeshrew is found on the Indian Subcontinent south of the Ganges River. Three subspecies have been described — A. e. ellioti of the Eastern Ghats, Biligirirangan and the Shevaroy Hills and other hills of Southern India, A. e. pallida from Central India primarily in Madhya Pradesh and Raipur, and A. e. wroughtoni from the Satpura Range and the Dangs near Bombay. They have been reported within the Western Ghats ranges of Wayanad (Periya) and Mahabaleshwar. The northernmost record is from Garhwa district of Bihar. Little is known about the status of these populations as the distribution is patchy, but S. M. Mohnot considered them as "common" in 1975.

Behaviour and ecology

This species of treeshrew is not particularly arboreal and spends much of its time on the ground or clambering about on rocky terrain in the search of insects and seeds. It is easily separated from the squirrels in the field by the shape and color of the tail and the upward curve in which it is held when walking about. They have a behaviour of climbing up low, slanting trunks and sliding down headfirst. This may be associated with scent marking, as many of the Scandentia have scent glands on their throats. A species of sucking louse Docophthirus acinetus is found only on this species, the genus itself being restricted to hosts in the family Tupaiidae. Endoparasitic microfiliriae have also been described from the species. The Crested Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) has been known to prey on this tree shrew.

References

Illustrations

Madras treeshrew: A. e. ellioti from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu — A. e. ellioti from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Madras treeshrew

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Madras treeshrew claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Madras treeshrew before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Madras treeshrew ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Madras treeshrew

In research: Madras treeshrew appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Madras treeshrew in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Madras treeshrew is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna listed on CITES Appendix II, IUCN Red List least concern species, Mammals described in 1850, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Madras treeshrew outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Madras treeshrew” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Madras treeshrew in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Madras treeshrew means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Madras treeshrew out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madras treeshrew in simple terms?

Why does Madras treeshrew matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Madras treeshrew?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Madras treeshrew.