tree shrew

American

noun

any of several insectivorous, arboreal mammals of the family Tupaiidae, of southern Asia and adjacent islands, resembling a squirrel and having a long snout.

tree shrew British

noun

any of numerous small arboreal mammals of the family Tupaiidae and order Scandentia , of SE Asia, having large eyes and resembling squirrels

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tree shrew

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The tree shrew had the highest intake at 1.4 g/kg/day, while the honeybee had the lowest at 0.05 g/kg/day.

From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026

The mountain tree shrew, Tupaia montana, pooping into its pitcher plant.

From The Verge • Oct. 21, 2018

It sounds like something out of a filthy fairy tale: the mountain tree shrew visits certain species of pitcher plant to grab a bite of nectar, and poop into the plant’s commode-shaped cup.

From The Verge • Oct. 21, 2018

Go back far enough, and we’re distant cousins, at least, to the tiniest tree shrew and the great blue whale.

From Time • Jun. 5, 2013

Just last year he and his colleagues described how some other pitcher plants rely on tree shrew feces for nutrients, and only then did he wonder whether bats might be fertilizing the plants.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 26, 2011

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023