tree shrew

noun

: any of a family (Tupaiidae of the order Scandentia) of small southeast Asian mammals that resemble squirrels, are of semiarboreal or terrestrial habit, feed chiefly on insects and fruit, and are sometimes classified as true insectivores or primitive primates

Illustration of tree shrew

Illustration of tree shrew

Examples of tree shrew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But evolution is also the culprit for the tree shrew's remarkable insensitivity to capsaicin. Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2024 Fruit flies, tree shrews and many other animals naturally consume alcohol in fruits that ferment; this happens when yeast or certain bacteria are around to break down sugars in ripe fruit, creating small amounts of ethanol. Rachel Berkowitz, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024 So, evolutionary forces pressured the plant to tweak its design a bit to entice the tree shrew to pay it a visit and poop into it. Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 12 Mar. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tree shrew was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near tree shrew

Cite this Entry

“Tree shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tree%20shrew. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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