| Deppe's squirrel | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Sciurus |
| Species: | S. deppei |
| Binomial name | |
| Sciurus deppei Peters, 1863 | |
| Subspecies [2] | |
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| Deppe's squirrel range | |
Deppe's squirrel (Sciurus deppei) is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Sciurus deppei varies in individual color. [3] The overall color of the body is gray to yellowish brown or rusty-colored brown, while the face is gray. The legs are dark gray or rust colored. The top of the tail is black with a few white hairs mixed in while the bottom side of the tail is yellowish orange to a rust color, the hairs on the tip of the tail are white. [3] Changes in their fur due to seasons aren't typically seen, except for the white tip on their tail and the patches of hair behind the ears disappear during the summer season. [4]
Size varies a little bit in the Deppe's squirrel with the average female being around 287.3 g, HB 210.2 mm, and T 169.4 mm. [3] The males average is 268.3 g, HB 207.2 mm, and T 176.0 mm. [3] Both sexes are close in size, but the females tend to be slightly larger than the males.
The range of S. deppei overlaps with many other squirrel species. [3] [5] This includes areas of Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Chiapas. This area contains the Tikal National Park (in Guatemala) and populations of these squirrels can be seen around the Mayan ruins. [6] Research has been done in this area to see if the impact of humans would affect the population of animals in these high tourists areas and it was found that higher populations of S. deppei were seen around the ruins than in a controlled area. [6] According to IUCN the population of S. deppei is stable. [3] [6]
Sciurus deppei is said to be a "habitat generalist." [3] This species tends to favor lowland areas with damp tropical forests with dense vegetation. [3] Due to being found in Mesoamerica and having a very diverse range of climates these squirrels can be found in different habitats. [5] Looking at the skulls of S. deppei it is clear that they would inhabit these areas. [7]
Sciurus deppei is diurnal and is very active during the day. [4] It is arboreal, but spends 30-60% of its foraging time on the ground. When on the ground they are searching for food including seeds, nuts, buds, insects, and fruits. [4] These squirrels are not considered social and stay in very small groups. [4] [3] They are relatively quiet unless they have intruders in their area and then their high-pitched call can be heard including flicks of their tails. [4] Since they are so quiet and their color helps them to blend into the tree trunks and hide from humans. When they aren't moving their camouflage is so good they are very hard to spot.
Sciurus deppei can reproduce year round, but is usually seen around the end of the dry season. [3] Their litter size can vary quite a bit from 2-8 young, but usually on average has around 4. [3]
Most Sciurus have 4 pairs of mammae, milk secreting organ on female mammals, but the S. deppei only has 3 functional pairs of mammae. [3] Note that according to the generic key by de Vivo & Carmignotto in 2015, this characteristic would place this taxon in the genus Notosciurus along with the red-tailed squirrel, Andean squirrel, and likely Richmond's squirrel. [8]
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormice.
Sciurinae is a subfamily of squirrels, uniting the flying squirrels with certain related tree squirrels. Older sources place the flying squirrels in a separate subfamily (Pteromyinae) and unite all remaining sciurids into the subfamily Sciurinae, but this has been strongly refuted by genetic studies.
The eastern gray squirrel, also known, particularly outside of North America, as simply the grey squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator. Widely introduced to certain places around the world, the eastern gray squirrel in Europe, in particular, is regarded as an invasive species.
The western gray squirrel is a tree squirrel found along the western coast of the United States and Mexico. In some places, this species has also been known as the silver-gray squirrel, the California gray squirrel, the Oregon gray squirrel, the Columbian gray squirrel and the banner-tail. There are three geographical subspecies: Sciurus griseus griseus ; S. g. nigripes ; and S. g. anthonyi.
The genus Sciurus contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America.
The Bolivian squirrel is a tree squirrel that is endemic to South America. Little is known of the species, which may represent a species complex.
The Mexican gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Guatemala and eastern and southern Mexico. It has been introduced to the Florida Keys.
The Santander dwarf squirrel is a small tree squirrel endemic to Colombia.
The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The Arizona gray squirrel is a tree squirrel, in the genus Sciurus, endemic to the canyons and valleys surrounded by deciduous and mixed forests in eastern Arizona and northern Mexico.
Collie's squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to Mexico.
The fiery squirrel is a rodent in the family Sciuridae. The taxon is endemic to the area south of the Orinoco River in the state of Bolívar, Venezuela.
The red-tailed squirrel is a species of tree squirrel distributed from southern Central America to northern South America.
The Mexican fox squirrel is a species of tree squirrel found throughout the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico as far south as Jalisco — and northward into the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, U.S.
Peters's squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to Mexico. It was first described by the German naturalist and explorer Wilhelm Peters in 1863. Three subspecies are recognised. It is a common species, and the IUCN has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Andean squirrel is a tree squirrel endemic to Colombia where it inhabits montane rain forest and cloud forests of the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central ranges of the Colombian Andes, at elevations between 2,000 and 3,300 metres. It is a small species with a body length of about 14 cm (6 in) and a similar length tail. It has soft, silky, reddish-brown fur, a darker tail and yellowish-grey underparts. It is thought to be diurnal but has been little studied, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being data deficient.
Richmond's squirrel is a poorly known tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to Nicaragua, which is likely a synonym of the red-tailed squirrel. It is locally known as the ardilla del rama.
Sanborn's squirrel is or was a little known tree squirrel described in 1944 from the skin and skeleton of a single female specimen collected in Peru in 1941. Subsequently, over the proceeding years only a handful of either specimens were collected, or observations were recorded, in the regions of Madre de Dios and northern Puno in Peru, and Pando department in Bolivia. The 2019 IUCN assessment describes it as endemic to Peru. In 2015 this taxon was synonymised with Notosciurus pucheranii ssp. boliviensis. Its habitat is tropical dry broadleaf forests at elevations up to 570 m. It is considered possibly rare and potentially vulnerable to deforestation, but its population trend is not established.
The variegated squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Fifteen subspecies are recognised. It is a common squirrel and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it a "least-concern species". Variegated squirrels kept as pets in Germany have been implicated in the transmission of a bornavirus to humans from which three people have died.
The Yucatan squirrel, originally named the Yucatan gray squirrel, also once named the Campeche squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in the Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent areas. It is native to northern Belize, northeastern Guatemala, and southeast Mexico.
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