Sun squirrels Temporal range: Late Pleistocene to Recent | |
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H. rufobrachium , Uganda | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Sciuridae |
Tribe: | Protoxerini |
Genus: | Heliosciurus Trouessart, 1880 |
Type species | |
Sciurus gambianus | |
Species [1] | |
Sun squirrels (genus Heliosciurus), form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini. They are only found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Either the habit of basking in the sun on tree branches[ citation needed ] or the tail being commonly used as a sunshade [2] gave this group its common name.
Sun squirrels have been implicated in the spread of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[ citation needed ]
There are six species in the genus:
Pine squirrels are squirrels of the genus Tamiasciurus, in the Sciurini tribe, of the large family Sciuridae.
The genus Sciurus contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America.
Large black flying squirrel form a taxon of squirrels under the tribe Pteromyini. They are only found in South-east Asia.
The red-bellied squirrel or Sulawesi giant squirrel is a species of squirrel. Until recently, it was described as a species in the genus Callosciurus, but since the 1990s it is generally placed in its own genus Rubrisciurus. It is endemic on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where it is widespread. It has also been found on Sangir Island to the north of Sulawesi. With a length of 25 cm, it is rather large for a squirrel. It lives in the tree tops of the rainforests of the island.
The ear-spot squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Borneo and is diurnal and active mainly in small trees. It closely resembles the plantain squirrel, but is smaller and with a distinct pale buffy patch behind each ear.
The plantain squirrel, oriental squirrel or tricoloured squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in a wide range of habitats: forests, mangroves, parks, gardens, and agricultural areas. Fruit farmers consider them to be pests.
Exilisciurus is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae from forests in Southeast Asia. These tiny squirrels are mostly olive-brown to grey-brown, although E. whiteheadi has conspicuous ear-tufts. They are active, and feed on both plant-material and insects.
The tufted pygmy squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to highland forest in Borneo. The common name of this tiny squirrel refers to its distinctive ear-tufts. Its diet consists mainly of the lichens and mosses which cover the trees it inhabits.
The Nilgiri striped squirrel is a threatened species of rodent, a small squirrel (Sciuridae) from rainforests in the southern Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, in Peninsular India. It formerly included Funambulus obscurus from Sri Lanka as a subspecies, at which point the English name of the "combined species" also was dusky striped squirrel.
The sculptor squirrel or Bornean pygmy squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It was described by Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas in 1898. It is monotypic within the genus Glyphotes. It is endemic to northern Borneo in Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) and inhabits areas elevated at 285–1,800 metres (935–5,906 ft).
The Gambian sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is wooded savanna.
The mutable sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, moist savanna, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
The small sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and possibly Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The red-legged sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, also commonly known as the isabelline red-legged sun squirrel. It is native to tropical western and central Africa where its range extends from Senegal in the west, through Nigeria and the Republic of Congo to Uganda and Tanzania in the east. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna. This species is thought to be common and has a very wide distribution, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Ruwenzori sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.
The western dwarf squirrel is a small tree squirrel in the genus Microsciurus and tribe Sciurini found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The black-eared squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus Nannosciurus. This tiny squirrel is found in forests in Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Except for its striking whitish and black facial markings, the black-eared squirrel resembles the least pygmy squirrel.
The shrew-faced squirrel, also known as the long-nosed squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus Rhinosciurus. It is found in forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo. This peculiar, terrestrial squirrel mainly feeds on insects and earthworms. It quite closely resembles a Tupaia treeshrew in appearance, but the shrew-faced squirrel can be recognized by its shorter gape, and shorter and more bushy tail.
The Xerinae comprise a subfamily of squirrels, many of which are highly terrestrial. It includes the tribes Marmotini, Xerini, and Protoxerini.
The Protoxerini comprise a tribe of squirrels found in Africa. The 30 species in six genera are: