Scandentia (Noun)
Meaning
A small order comprising only the tree shrews: in some classifications tree shrews are considered either primates (and included in the suborder Prosimii) or true insectivores (and included in the order Insectivora).
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Some taxonomists group tree shrews as members of the order Scandentia, while others consider them distinct from, yet related to, primates and rodents.
- Scandentia is an order that remains poorly understood, with many aspects of tree shrew biology and behavior still requiring thorough research.
- Recent studies have led some scientists to consider tree shrews as a distinct order, known as Scandentia, due to their unique characteristics.
- Taxonomists have alternately classified tree shrews as insectivores or even as members of the order Scandentia, underlining the complexity of their evolutionary relationships.
- The order Scandentia has only recently gained acceptance as a distinct order which contains only one family, Tupaiidae, comprising the tree shrews.