Banded redshank squirrel
| Banded redshank squirrel | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Funisciurus lemniscatus | ||||||||||||
| ( LeConte , 1857) |
The banded or striped redshank squirrel ( Funisciurus lemniscatus ) is a type of squirrel from the genus of the redshank squirrel ( Funisciurus ). It occurs in parts of Central Africa. It lives in the rainforest areas of the lowlands and, compared to other species of the genus, feeds on a comparatively large proportion of termites and ants.
features
The banded redshank squirrel reaches an average head-trunk length of 15.0 to 17.7 centimeters, the tail is 115 to 145 centimeters long. The weight is about 120 to 160 grams. The rear foot length is 33 to 41 millimeters. It is a small croissant with a brown fur on the back, the hair is finely banded in black and sand-colored. On both sides of the body there are two dark brown to black stripes that extend from the neck to the torso. The inner stripes are separated by the brown back, the outer stripes by a narrower yellow-brown stripe. The peritoneum is white or sand-colored. The tail length is about 80% of the head-trunk length. It is bushy with long hair, the top is grayish sand-colored and the underside is yellowish-sand colored. The females have two paired teats (0 + 0 + 1 + 1 = 4).
| 1 | · | 0 | · | 2 | · | 3 | = 22 |
| 1 | · | 0 | · | 1 | · | 3 |
The skull has a total length of 42.1 to 43.9 millimeters and a width of about 22.9 to 24.6 millimeters. Like all species of the genus has the type in the upper jaw half per one to a incisor tooth formed incisor (incisor) to which a tooth gap ( diastema follows). This is followed by two premolars and three molars . The teeth in the lower jaw correspond to those in the upper jaw, but only with a premolar. In total, the animals have a set of 22 teeth. The bony palate ends at the anterior margin of the last molars.
The banded redshank squirrel is similar to other redshank squirrels found in the same region and differs from them mainly in its size and color. The partially sympatrically occurring Lady-Burton African striped squirrel ( Funisciurus Isabella ) is slightly smaller and the inner strips are sufficient for him to the ears, in addition, the area between each strip sand colored brown, and the alarm calls are different. The banded redshank squirrel differs from the Alexander squirrel ( Paraxerus alexandri ) and Böhm's bush squirrel ( Paraxerus boehmi ), some of which also occur together with the two species , in that it is larger in size and its back and side stripes are clearly different in color.
distribution
The banded redshank squirrel occurs in the area of the west coast of Central Africa from southern Cameroon via Equatorial Guinea and most of Gabon to the west of the Republic of the Congo , the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the enclave of Cabinda , Angola .
Way of life
The banded redshank squirrel lives mainly in dense tropical rainforest areas of the lowlands, it is less common in secondary forests and degraded forests.
It lives solitary or, less often, in pairs or small groups. Solitary animals make up the largest proportion of sightings with about 59% of the cases, in pairs they are sighted in about 21%, in small groups of three animals in 11% and in groups with four animals in 7% of the cases. The individual animals usually keep a distance of more than a meter, usually five to 20 meters. Couples kept in captivity did not share a nest box and the more dominant animal was more likely to be attacked against the less dominant one. Couples equipped with transmitters stayed in the same area for several days, but usually kept a distance of 15 to 40 meters from each other. According to a study, the territories of the animals cover about 1.0 to 1.6 hectares, males equipped with transmitters moved at a rate of 51 meters per hour, females at 48 meters per hour.
They are diurnal and live as good climbers in the branches of the trees. The activity takes place throughout the day after dawn and into the early evening. They usually look for food on the ground or in the undergrowth and in low trees, very rarely at heights over five meters. The round nests have a diameter of about 21 centimeters, with individual individuals using several nests. They usually build them from individual large leaves, which they wrap with plant fibers and equip with two to three entrances. They are laid out in the branches of the bushes and small trees, in lianas or in tree trunks and piles of wood on the ground. Five individuals used a total of 17 nests when tracking banded croissants. If they are disturbed by vibrations, they leave the nest and run to another nest nearby. The animals feed, such as other species of the genus predominantly herbivor of fruit and seeds, which account for about 59% of the diet, is added a relatively large percentage of insects and other invertebrates (36%), the part with the long tongue from rinds and columns to be fetched. Ants and termites in particular are eaten by the insects . In rare cases, up to 100% termites were found in the stomach of animals, which indicates an opportunistic diet. The animals communicate via various calls, including a comparatively quiet alarm call from a series of one to eight, usually three, “chucks”, which the animals utter alone or together; the call is accompanied by a downward movement of the tail. In addition, there is a very loud alarm call consisting of several individual calls of different frequencies, which are made up of loud “chucks” and “chips” and are usually called in pairs or in triplets.
Little information is available about the mating behavior of the animals. The females probably give birth to one to three young animals as a rule. There is also no information about predators and parasites for this species.
Systematics
The banded redshank squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the redshank squirrel ( Funisciurus ), which consists of ten species. The first scientific description comes from the geologist and naturalist Joseph LeConte from 1857, who described the animals as Sciurus lemniscatus using individuals from the Mbini , formerly Río Muni, in Equatorial Guinea .
Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :
- Funisciurus lemniscatus lemniscatus : nominate form, it occurs north of the Ogooué , the abdominal color is white
- Funisciurus lemniscatus mayumbicus : This subspecies occurs south of the Ogooué, the belly is sand-colored.
Status, threat and protection
The banded redshank squirrel is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (“least concern”). This is justified by the comparatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations of animals in their habitat, although they are rarely observed. There are no known risks to the species that endanger the existence of the species; regionally, stocks could decline due to the loss of rainforest.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Louise H. Emmons: Funisciurus lemniscatus, Ribboned Rope Squirrel. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 56-57; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
- ^ A b c Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 218-219. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ Peter Grubb: Genus Funisciurus, Rope Squirrels. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 46-48; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
- ↑ a b Funisciurus lemniscatus in the IUCN 2016-2 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: P. Grubb, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ↑ Funisciurus isabella . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): 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 .
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 218-219. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- Louise H. Emmons: Funisciurus lemniscatus, Ribboned Rope Squirrel. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 56-57; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
Web links
- Funisciurus lemniscatus inthe IUCN 2016-2 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: P. Grubb, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2016.