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tree shrew

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

First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tree shrew

Historical Examples

  • Finn further experimented with the tree-shrew or Tupaia (Tupaia ellioti), which feeds largely on insects.

    The Making of Species

    Douglas Dewar

  • It is fairly certain that if the Tree-shrew is an enemy of butterflies in the wild state it is a discriminating one.

    Mimicry in Butterflies

    Reginald Crundall Punnett

British Dictionary definitions for tree shrew

tree shrew

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