Lowland piglet squirrel
| Lowland piglet squirrel | ||||||||||||
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| Hyosciurus ileile | ||||||||||||
| Archbold & Tate , 1936 |
The lowland piglet squirrel ( Hyosciurus ileile ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of piglet squirrels ( Hyosciurus ). It occurs in the north of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi .
features
The lowland piglet croissant reaches a head-trunk length of about 21.3 to 25 centimeters with a weight of about 290 to 520 grams. The tail is about 7 to 12.5 centimeters long, which is significantly shorter than the rest of the body. The back color and the tail of the animals are dark brown with a distinct speckle with black and sand brown spots. The underside is dark brown-gray with variable cream-brown to ‑ white markings in the middle of the abdomen, which can extend as an indistinct row of spots or interrupted white stripes from the neck to the base of the tail. The eyes are surrounded by a hairless dark, yellowish-brown ring. In the neck there is a field of bristly, 10 millimeter long hair that goes against the coat .
From the very similar mountain piglet squirrel ( Hyosciurus heinrichi ), the flatland piglet squirrel differs mainly in the pattern on the abdomen and in the slightly lighter color on the back with a clear brown color. It is also a bit more compact and has slightly shorter ears and a shorter snout.
distribution
The lowland piglet croissant occurs in the north and northwest as well as in the north of the central part of the island of Sulawesi, which belongs to Indonesia, in the lowlands up to the middle altitudes, the exact limits of the distribution area are unknown. It lives at altitudes of around 170 to 1700 meters.
Way of life
The lowland piglet squirrel lives in the primary forests of the lowlands and the central areas of the island. It is diurnal and lives mainly on the forest floor, where it probably feeds mainly on fruits and seeds as well as insect larvae. The foraging for food takes place on the forest floor as the animals look for potential food between the leaves with their long snouts and front legs equipped with claws. Compared to the mountain piglet squirrel, the lowland piglet squirrel occurs in slightly higher population densities. This is attributed to the higher proportion of oaks and the associated higher number of acorns as a source of food in the area where the lowland piglet squirrel is found. Communication differs significantly between species. In the event of disturbances, the lowland piglet croissant reacts with throaty and short grunting noises ("errr, errr, grrr"), followed by short and quickly successive ("eee-eee") or drawn out ("ee –––– e") high-pitched calls in the morning or in the afternoon, which, according to the literature, sound like the spinning of an unlubricated machine.
The females have three pairs of teats , two pairs in the groin and one in the abdomen; no data are available on reproduction.
Systematics
The lowland piglet squirrel is classified as a separate species within the genus of piglet squirrels ( Hyosciurus ), which consists of two species. The first scientific description comes from Richard Archbold and George Tate from 1936. They described the species on the basis of two individuals from the eponymous mountain Ile-Ile from the north of Sulawesi and bordered it from the mountain piglet squirrel ( Hyosciurus heinrichi ), which of them in the It had been introduced as a subspecies onwards. Until the 1980s it was mostly considered a subspecies of H. heinrichi .
Apart from the nominate form, no further subspecies are distinguished within the species .
Status, threat and protection
The lowland piglet squirrel is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by the rather small size of the distribution area, which is less than 20,000 km 2 , as well as by the strong fragmentation and decreasing availability and quality of the habitats. The species is known almost exclusively from primary forest stands below 1700 meters, but can also colonize secondary forest areas and shrubbery. It occurs at very low densities in their habitats and is susceptible to human disturbance.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 168-169. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ a b c Hyosciurus ileile in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Posted by: F. Chiozza, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Hyosciurus ileile In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- ^ GHH Tate , R. Archbold : Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 1. A new genus and species of squirrel from Celebes. American Museum Novitates 801, May 17, 1935, pp. 1-6. ( Full text )
- ^ GHH Tate , R. Archbold : Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 9. A new race of Hyosciurus. American Museum Novitates 846, April 29, 1936, pp. 1-6. ( Full text )
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 168-169. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Hyosciurus ileile inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Posted by: F. Chiozza, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2015.