Notes on the Nest Architecture and Nest Site Characteristics of Mindanao Treeshrew (Tupaia everetti Thomas, 1892) from Dinagat Islands, Philippines

Abstract

The Mindanao treeshrew (Tupaia everetti Thomas, 1892) is an endemic non-volant mammal species found in the Mindanao Faunal Region in the Philippines. The nest architecture and nest site characteristics of T. everetti are described for the first time based on a single active nest documented from Dinagat Islands. The nest was on the ground, built inside a cavity of a dead pandan tree (Sararanga cf. philippinensis), and was surrounded by natural vegetation. This nest discovery is a valuable contribution to the minimal existing literature about this poorly studied species, which may be increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts. As such, we highly recommend more nest search and breeding ecology studies on Dinagat islands and other areas where T. everetti is found to determine if the nesting pattern is similar to what was discovered in this study.