Northern Treeshrew

Appearance

Results of a telemetry study involving northern treeshrews showed that their body temperature varies from 35 °C during the night to 40 °C during the day. This difference is larger than in other endotherms, and indicates that the circadian rhythms of body temperature and locomotor activity are synchronized.

Adults weigh 0.2 kg. The maximum longevity of the northern treeshrew is 11 years.

Besides humans, the northern treeshrew is the only mammal known to willingly consume spicy food. This is due to a genetic mutation rendering it much less sensitive to the effects of capsaicin.

Uses

The northern treeshrew has attained growing interest for use as a medical model. In 2002, an article was published describing that its primary hepatocytes could be used as a model for studying the Hepatitis C virus, which is a major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide.
It was also used in studies on the development of photo reception, investigation of retinal cones, and refractive state and ocular component dimensions of the eye. Many studies have been conducted regarding eye structure, development, and vision using the northern treeshrew model because of the similarity to human eye structure and sight that is uncharacteristic of conventional small lab animals, such as rodents.