Sciurus ingrami

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Ingram's squirrel
Sciurus ingrami (Thomas, 1901).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sciurus
Species:
S. ingrami
Binomial name
Sciurus ingrami
Thomas, 1901

Sciurus ingrami, usually called Ingram's squirrel in English, is a squirrel found in South America. [1] It is known as serelepe in southeastern Brazil. [2] [3] It is found in the Atlantic Forest Biome of Brazil and Misiones Province, Argentina. [1]

It is regarded variously as a species, [3] [4] or as a subspecies of the Brazilian Squirrel Sciurus aestuans [5] or Sciurus (Guerlinguetus) brasiliensis. [1]

It is solitary and territorial, but has been seen to act together and mob a predatory cat, the margay. [6]

Diet

In the moist highland forests of Araucaria angustifolia on the Misiones plateau and surrounding areas this squirrel subsists mostly on the nuts of Syagrus romanzoffiana . [7] [8] [9] [10]

In a secondary Araucaria angustifolia forest in the Parque Recreativo Primavera in the vicinity of the city of Curitiba, Paraná, 1400 hours in a single year's time was spent observing the feeding behaviour of this squirrel. Although it fed on ten plant species, it obtained most of its diet from the nuts of Syagrus romanzoffiana (queen palm) throughout the year, but it punctuated this with peaks of feeding on the seeds of Araucaria angustifolia in the fall and winter, and acorns of the non-native Quercus robur (English oak, as Q. pedunculata in the study) in the summer. Mushrooms were also important in the winter and spring. Other introduced plant species were lesser but substantial food items, as such the seeds of Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) in the winter and the nuts of Castanea sativa (chestnut) in the spring and summer were quite often consumed. Other minor but regular plants were the nuts of the native Butia eriospatha (woolly jelly palm) in the spring and summer, pips of the non-native Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) in the winter, the native Eugenia uniflora in the spring and summer, and the native Rhamnus sphaerosperma in the summer and fall, as well as flowers and tree bark. Symplocos uniflora was a rare food item in the summer. [2]

Related Research Articles

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The margay is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western gray squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

<i>Araucaria angustifolia</i> Species of plant

Araucaria angustifolia, the Paraná pine, Brazilian pine or candelabra tree, is a critically endangered species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Although the common names in various languages refer to the species as a "pine", it does not belong in the genus Pinus.

<i>Sciurus</i> Genus of rodents

The genus Sciurus contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian squirrel</span> Species of mammal in the family Sciuridae

The Brazilian squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to South America. It is found in southeastern Colombia, Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Amazon red squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The southern Amazon red squirrel, is a squirrel species from South America where it inhabits forests in much of north-western South America east of the Andes. Three subspecies are currently recognised. It is a dark red colour, or a dark brown grizzled with ochre, has whitish underparts and grows to a total length of 48 to 63 cm, including a very long tail. It spends much of its time on the ground in the undergrowth and feeds largely on nuts. Little is known of its breeding habits, but it is a sociable species, several individuals often feeding together in one tree. This squirrel faces no particular threats, has a wide range and is relatively common, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a "least-concern species".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivian squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

<i>Syagrus romanzoffiana</i> Species of palm

Syagrus romanzoffiana, the queen palm or cocos palm, is a palm native to South America, introduced throughout the world as a popular ornamental garden tree. S. romanzoffiana is a medium-sized palm, quickly reaching maturity at a height of up to 15 m (49 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves having as many as 494 pinnae (leaflets), although more typically around 300, each pinna being around 50 centimetres (18 in) in length and 3–5 centimetres (1–2 in) in width.

<i>Butia eriospatha</i> Species of palm

Butia eriospatha is a small species of Butia palm endemic to the highlands of southern Brazil. It is very similar to B. odorata, but is easily distinguished from this species by the distinct spathes which are densely covered in rust-coloured, woolly hairs. Indeed, the specific epithet is derived from Greek ἔριον, wool, and Latin spatha, which refers to the spathe. It has been given the name woolly jelly palm (UK) or wooly jelly palm (US) in English. Vernacular names for it where it is native are butiá-da-serra, butiázeiro, butiá-veludo, butiábutiá verdadeiro, butiá-do-campo, yatáy and macumá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caucasian squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona gray squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deppe's squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Deppe's squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond's squirrel</span> Species of rodent

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<i>Platypodium elegans</i> Species of legume

Platypodium elegans, the graceful platypodium, is a large leguminous tree found in the Neotropics that forms part of the forest canopy. It was first described by Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel in 1837 and is the type species of the genus. The tree has been known to grow up to 30 metres in height and have a trunk with a diameter up to 1 m at breast height. Its trunk has large holes in it, sometimes making it possible to see through the trunk. The holes provide a habitat for giant damselflies and other insects both when alive and once the tree has died and fallen over. It has compound leaves each of which is made up of 10–20 leaflets. Three new chemical compounds have been isolated from the leaves and they form part of the diet of several monkeys and the squirrel Sciurus ingrami. In Panama it flowers from April to June, the flowers contain only four ovules, but normally only one of these reaches maturity forming a winged seed pod around 10 cm long and weighing 2 g. During the dry season around a year after the flowers are fertilised, the seeds are dispersed by the wind and the tree loses it leaves. The seeds are eaten by agoutis and by bruchid beetle larvae. The majority of seedlings are killed by damping off fungi in the first few months of growth, with seedlings that grow nearer the parent trees being more likely to die. The seedlings are relatively unable to survive in deep shade compared to other species in the same habitat. Various epiphytes are known to grow on P. elegans with the cactus Epiphyllum phyllanthus being the most abundant in Panama. Despite having holes in its trunk which should encourage debris and seeds to collect, hemiepiphytes are relatively uncommon, meaning that animals are not attracted to it to feed and then defecate. It has no known uses in traditional medicine and although it can be used for timber, the wood is of poor quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Cruz do Sul University Private Natural Heritage Reserve</span>

The Private Reserve of Natural Heritage (RPPN) of University of Santa Cruz do Sul (Unisc) is a protected area created in 2009, through Ordinance nº 16, of March 18, having an area of 221,39 hectares, being nowadays one of the largest protected area of this category (RPPN) in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. This preservation area is within the Atlantic Forest Biome and the predominant vegetation is the seasonal deciduous forest.

References

  1. 1 2 3 de Vivo, Mario; Carmignotto, Ana Paula (January 2015). "Family Sciuridae G. Fischer, 1817". In Patton, James L.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F.J.; D'Elía, Guillermo (eds.). Mammals of South America Volume 2, Rodents (1 ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 13–15. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226169606.001.0001. ISBN   978-0226169576 . Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 Bordignon, Marcelo; Monteiro‐Filho, E. L. A. (1999). "Seasonal Food Resources of the Squirrel Sciurus ingrami in a Secondary Araucaria Forest in Southern Brazil". Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 34 (3): 137–140. doi:10.1076/snfe.34.3.137.8910 . Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 Bordignon, M.; Monteiro-Filho, E. L. A. (2000). "Behaviour and daily activity of the squirrel Sciurus ingrami in a secondary araucaria forest in southern Brazil". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78 (10): 1732–1739. doi:10.1139/z00-104.
  4. Paschoal, M.; Galetti, M. (1995). "Seasonal food use by the neotropical squirrel Sciurus ingrami in Southeastern Brazil". Biotropica. 27 (2): 268–273. doi:10.2307/2389006. JSTOR   2389006.
  5. Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 759. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  6. Alberto Solórzano-Filho, J. (2006). "Mobbing of Leopardus wiedii while hunting by a group of Sciurus ingrami in an Araucaria forest of Southeast Brazil / Assaillir du Leopardus wiedii tandis que chasse par un groupe de Sciurus ingrami dans une forêt d'Araucaria de sud-ouest au Brésil". Mammalia. 70 (1–2): 156–157. doi:10.1515/MAMM.2006.031.
  7. Alves, Briza Cristina; Mendes, Calebe Pereira; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar (January 2018). "Queen palm fruit selection and foraging techniques of squirrels in the Atlantic Forest". Biotropica. 50 (2): 274–281. doi:10.1111/btp.12530 . Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. Galetti, Mauro; Paschoal, Maristela; Pedroni, Fernando (February 1992). "Predation on palm nuts (Syagrus romanzoffiana) by squirrels (Sciurus ingrami) in south-east Brazil". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 8 (1): 121–123. doi:10.1017/S0266467400006210.
  9. Mendes, Calebe Pereira; Cãndido-Jr, José Flávio (June 2014). "Behavior and foraging technique of the Ingram's squirrel Guerlinguetus ingrami (Sciuridae: Rodentia) in an Araucaria moist forest fragment". Zoologia (Curitiba). 31 (3): 209–214. doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702014000300001 . hdl: 11449/109719 . ISSN   1984-4670.
  10. Alvarenga, Cibele A.; Talamoni, Sõnia A. (September 2005). "Nests of the Brazilian squirrel Sciurus ingrami Thomas (Rodentia, Sciuridae)". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 22 (3): 816–818. doi: 10.1590/S0101-81752005000300048 . ISSN   0101-8175.