A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY - TREESHREWS

This is a photo of Tupaia glis (Photo Credit: Stavenn). This species is not found in Borneo. Mammalogist already found out that the one that occur in Borneo is distinct from the one that occur in mainland (Peninsular Malaysia). We have Tupaia longipes in Borneo.

I know there are a lot of people get confused when they look at the tree shrews. Are they squirrel? Are they shrews? Are they primate? There are explanation about the treeshrews. I found article called " A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY" from Brookfield Zoo websites that discuss about this topic.

They're not squirrels

Tree shrews are small mammals that live part of their lives in trees in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Their legs are short, with padded feet and long claws for gripping branches. They have a long, pointy snout, and a great sense of smell. Tree shrews have small, elongated bodies and big bushy tails---just like squirrels. With their similarities, you might think that trees shrews and squirrels are closely related, but they aren't.

They aren’t really shrews, either

Tree shrews got their name from English sailors exploring southeast Asia, way back in 1780. To the sailors, these long-nosed creatures reminded them of shrews back home. Shrews are tiny, insect eating mammals (called "insectivores") with pointy snouts. The animals we now call tree shrews looked like an arboreal (or "tree-living") version of the familiar creatures of the English countryside. But sailors of the eighteenth century were wrong, as the resemblance to shrews proved to be superficial.

And no, they aren't primates

In the 1920s, a scientist proposed that tree shrews were actually related to primates, an early offshoot of the primate evolutionary tree. The scientist based his findings on comparative studies of primate and shrew skulls, muscles, reproduction systems, and other traits. Based on the similarities he found, the "tree shrews-as-primitive-primate" hypothesis was soon accepted. More recent studies have shown that a more likely explanation is that primates and shrews shared a common ancestor so far back in time that to call them close relatives was misleading. The similarities the scientist found between primates and tree shrews were probably due to both creatures adapting to life in the trees.

Well, what are they then?

So, they’re not squirrels, they’re not shrews, and they’re not primates. What are they? Tree shrews are apparently a distinct group, not particularly related to shrews or primates. In fact, the 18 different species of tree shrews are the only members of their own mammalian family, Scandentia.

Tree shrews on the ground?

Not all tree shrews are completely arboreal. Some, like the large tree shrew, spend more time on the ground sniffing and feeling for food than climbing trees. They root through the leaf litter, using their sensitive noses to find insects and seeds.

Just the facts

Body length: 8.4 inches

Tail length: 6.5 inches

Weight: 7.8 ounces

Habitat: Tropical rain forest and secondary growth forests

Distribution: Eastern Asia from India to the Philippines

Wild diet: Insects, fruits, seeds, leaves, and occasionally small mammals and lizards

BZ diet: Fruit, canned primate diet, cat food, and insects

BIRD'S SURVEY 2006

We are paddling on the boat along the river while enjoying our bird's watch. It is just an extra activity for us at late of the afternoon after we finish all our surveys in the morning. This is the first time for me involving in bird's study and the first time is always exciting experienced.

It is really tested our patience when we doing birds observation because to watch the birds using binocular make our neck tiring. To look up on the trees like what she did in the photos.

We do our distance surveys in the kerangas forest (heath forest) and when it's about near 11am, there is so quite. I still remember we only heard a call from one or two species of birds only.

Bird's distance survey using boat also a challenge for us and lucky we have an expert boatmen. We stop at the point that we wan to do the surveys. Actually she is collecting the habitat information using several variable and then counting the birds species by it's call and observation.

After almost a week inside the forest, we going back to the longhouse before we leaving back to Bintulu. We camp at the site. We are so lucky because the water level is high so we didn't face the problem of push the boat.

All of this photo was taken by Chi'en Lee. He is a professional freelance photographer.

THE BIRDS

The Green Broadbill (Calyptomena viridis)

The Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra)

The Maroon Woodpecker (Blythipicus rubiginosus)

The Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus)

The Rufous-backed Kingfisher (Ceyx rufidorsus)

It was a great experienced where i can see the birds closely and look for the main characteristics for it's identification. I think, after look for it closely i can identify it more accurately when i am doing bird's observation. Please ask permission from the author before using any of the photos above.

BIRD'S BANDING

Removing birds from the mist net is not that esay for the beginners because as for myself i am still not expert in doing it. Sometimes the birds that i try to remove tanggled very bad and need to cut some of the strings of the nets.

After get the birds from the nets we put it into the cloth bag and bring it back to the processing place that we can work out on banding the bird. Usually we can't put the birds too long in the cloth bag in case of it will be dehydrated so we process it straight away.

All the equipments for the banding is prepared and we get all the information of the birds before we band it. All of the information will be enter into the datasheet that we have. Before take the measurements and check the birds we need to band it in case of it will escaped and flew away.

I try to work out on taking the banding data from the birds after we put the band on it's leg but i am still not good at it. I am still confused on how to look at the fade line, wing wear and how to sexes this birds.

Every data that we take we enter it into the field data sheet.

CAMPING FOR BIRD'S SURVEY

This is how our bed look like at the camp. The most important things you must have for camping like this is your mosquito net and sleeping bag. Why? There is a lot of mosquitoes and after midnight it is really cold. The other extra gadgets you must have is torch lights, insect repellent and also your personal first aid kit. That is only the basic things that i can share for camping with us.

We cook our own food. So, here is the "panorama" of our kitchen at the camp. We have all the basics for cooking from stove to other cooking utensils. Don't worry you will not get starving if go camping like this because all of foods or rations is already prepared before the trip. The clean water basically we bring from Bintulu and the rest is drinking water. 

So, here is some meals that we have at the camp. Isn't it look delicious, even though it is just a baked beans...:p

Where to take a bath? No worry. For every camp, it must located near water source. So, like this camp there is one stream nearby and we take bath there.The water is cold especially if you take your shower late in the evening but is is really refreshing.

Worry about doing something very important? Here is how the camp toilet look like. It is very comfortabale and clean. 

BIRD'S SURVEY 2008

I was equipt with all the recording equipment to get ready for the dawn chorus recording. Usually we get ready at the site around 5.45am because we need to catch the first bird that make their calls. Quite interesting results that we get from all the dawn chorus that we make for the whole trip.

This is the first day of our observation and as usual i will be very excited but at this point i really have problem in identifying birds that i observed. However, do not worry as we practice everyday by refering to the field guide book, it will not that difficult anymore. Developing the skills and information about the birds that we observed.

After our dawn chorus finished, we continue to do observation on getting the foraging data of birds that we observed. With guide from Dr. Alison and Dr. Fred, we try to collect all the information that needed for the foraging data. It isreally cool to look at the birds and follow what it is doing especially on how it get its food, where it get it etc. But to study birds in the tropic forest is a challenge because of the tree is tall and the understorey is dense too.

I am not sure what we are looking at but i think we are looking at the Prevost's Squirrel on the tree down the valley. I really like that squirrel, it is really preety and i have a chance to observed it foraging on the figs fruits. How it hang upside down without care of the presence of birds around it. It just eating and eating.

I just came back after a long trip to the field started from July, 31st until Aug, 19th. It was 20 days in the field for bird's survey with researcher from US. They are bird's expert (ornithologist) and i was lucky to learn so many things related to bird's study from them. We use several methods for this trip. We do the dawn chorus (bird's call recording), foraging data observation, mist netting for bird's of interest by calling the birds using their calls and then we do the bird banding. It is really interesting and there are some area that i still not good at like identifying the species via it's call and collecting the data for the birds that we band. However, as i said earlier practice makes perfect. Continue doing it and doing it right.