Illustration of tree shrew
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
Examples of tree shrew in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
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 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share