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Potter Park Zoo Welcomes Four Northern Tree Shrew Babies

Four northern tree shrew pups were born May 24, 2018 at Potter Park Zoo.  This is the zoo’s third successful litter from parents Rose (age 4) and Oliver (age 8). Zoo staff believes there are three females and one male in the litter.

“We are thrilled to successfully breed this unique species for a third time,” said Zoo General Curator Sarah Pechtel. “We hope the community will take advantage of this rare opportunity and come see these young animals.”

Northern Tree shrews are a small insectivorous mammal from Southeast Asia. This species is known to put in the least amount of parental care of any mammal species. Pups only nurse once every 48 hours, but do not appear to receive any other parental care from mom in between these visits.

Their first month of life is spent in a nest cavity. When they leave the nest they emerge nearly adult sized. Check back to Potter Park Zoo’s blog and social media to learn when the pups have emerged from the nest and will be visible to zoo visitors. When they’re out of the nest, they can be see in the Feline & Primate House House, which is located in the center of the zoo. ​