Red-footed sun squirrel

Red-footed sun squirrel
	Red-footed sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus rufobrachium )
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe :	Protoxerini
Genre :	Sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus )
Type :	Red-footed sun squirrel
Scientific name
	Heliosciurus rufobrachium
	( Waterhouse , 1842)

The red-footed or red-legged sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus rufobrachium ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of the sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus ). It occurs in west to central Africa south of the Sahara from Senegal and Gambia in the west to the east African states Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi and Tanzania .

features

The red-footed sun squirrel is a medium-sized squirrel of the genus and reaches an average head-trunk length of about 22.5 to 27.4 centimeters, according to another source 20.5 to 24.9 centimeters, the tail is about 24.9 to 27.4 inches , 4 and 21.0 to 26.5 centimeters long and the weight is around 290 to 420 grams. The rear foot length is about 53 to 60 millimeters, the ear length 15 to 19 millimeters. The animals generally have a dark brown, grayish to reddish coat, which consists of hair with three to five dark brown and sand-colored sections and can be very different in the various subspecies. The belly is pale brown, whitish-brown, reddish or orange-red in color. The shoulders, the legs and the insides of the hind legs have a distinct reddish to rust-red impact and can vary from light rust-red to grayish-brown. The legs are short with wide feet. The tail is slightly longer than the length of the head and torso, it is thin and has indistinct yellowish, brown or black rings. It is worn horizontally behind the body or hanging down and not rolled over the back. The head is comparatively small with short ears, the eyes have a ring of paler hair.

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Tooth formula of the sun squirrel

The skull has a total length of 50 to 54 millimeters. As all the species other than the Ruwenzori sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus ruwenzorii ) 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 a premolar and three molars . The teeth in the lower jaw correspond to those in the upper jaw. In total, the animals have a set of 20 teeth.

The Red-legged Sun Squirrel corresponds to the basic color strongly the Gambian Sun Squirrel ( Heliosciurus gambianus ) and the allopatrisch occurring variables sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus mutabilis ), however, is generally somewhat dark and strong colored with less evident cock rings and a blurred boundary between the stomach and back fur. The gray footed squirrel also has no red coloring on its legs. Confusion with the only regionally widespread Ruwenzori sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus ruwenzorii ), which has a distinct dark stripe on the back, and the much larger common oil palm squirrel ( Protoxerus stangeri ) is possible.

distribution

The red-footed sun squirrel is found in large parts of west to central Africa, south of the Sahara from Senegal and Gambia in the west via Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Sierra Leone , Liberia , Côte d'Ivoire , Equatorial Guinea including the island of Bioko , Ghana , southern Togo , Benin and Nigeria and from there to the south of Cameroon , the Central African Republic , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Republic of the Congo and to the East African states Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi and Tanzania . Evidence south of the Congo is not available.

Way of life

The red-footed sun squirrel lives in different habitats from the evergreen rainforests of the flatlands and mountain regions, in mangrove areas and also in the drier savannah and gallery forest areas as well as relict forests. The species is also adaptable to changes in habitat and is also found in secondary forests , gardens and agricultural areas. The species is particularly common in cocoa and oil palm plantations .

The animals are diurnal and, like other sun squirrels, live on trees; they spend most of their phases of activity looking for food in the middle to upper areas of the tree. They don't leave their nests until after dawn and return well before dusk. Red-footed sun squirrels usually live individually or in pairs, very rarely in groups of three and are then very social in these groups, where they also share their nests. They build their nests from fresh leaves and twigs in narrow tree and branch hollows at heights of one to about 20 meters. The diet consists of up to 95% fruits, seeds and green parts of plants, plus insects and other arthropods. In tests in Gabon, the stomach contents of 15 stomach tests contained on average 89% fruits and seeds, 6% other parts of plants and 5% insects. The individuals concentrate on the hunt for animal food in the main time of foraging, so that the proportion of the food composition can increase. They run through the branches and search cracks in branches for ants, termites, beetles and insect larvae, which they kill by biting off the head and then eat. Captive animals also hunted for birds in their cages and eat bird eggs. They do not set up storage facilities and the animals likely follow swarms of insectivorous birds in order to be more effective in foraging for food and at the same time better protected against predators. Captured animals form a feed hierarchy; this behavior was not observed in wild animals.

Reproduction takes place twice a year and the females give birth to one or two young at a time. As with other species of the genus, communication takes place via loud, high-pitched calls, but they are significantly less communicative than other species. You use two types of alarm calls: The quieter and less intense alarm call consists of one or two barks and is repeated one to three times over several minutes. The louder and more intense alarm call consists of a descending howl followed by a high-pitched low-frequency trill. This call is also repeated several times. With every alarm call there is a brief lift of the tail and a stamping of the feet.

Systematics

The red-footed sun squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus ), which consists of six species. The first scientific description comes from George Robert Waterhouse from 1842 on the basis of individuals from the island Bioko , formerly Fernando Póo and part of Equatorial Guinea, which he described as Sciurus rufobrachium . The species was partially grouped with the gray foot squirrel ( Heliosciurus gambianus ), but separated as a valid species in the 1960s. The variable sun squirrel ( Heliosciurus mutabilis ) was considered a subspecies, but is now an independent species.

The variability and also the regional differences of the animals are very large, therefore numerous subspecies have been described. Today, according to Thorington et al. In 2012, a total of 21 subspecies were distinguished within the species with the nominate form :

Heliosciurus rufobrachium rufobrachium : nominate form, occurs on the island of Bioko. It has a light red peritoneum. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium arrhenii : occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The subspecies is very dark and the nose and legs are reddish in color. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium aubryi : lives in Gabon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo between the Tshuapa and Kasai rivers . The back color is very dark, the flanks are reddish. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium benga : in Equatorial Guinea. The subspecies is small, the reddish color extends to the tail.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium caurinus : in Guinea-Bissau. The animals have the normal coloration of the species, but have a tan-brown chest, a white peritoneum and a red coloration on the front legs and the inside of the hips. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium coenosus : occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The peritoneum is slightly lighter than the back fur. The front and rear feet are grayish tan, the outside of the front legs is sand-colored. The tail is dark, piebald gray and has very light bands.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium emissus : in Nigeria. The subspecies is very small and has a brown undercoat.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium hardyi : in Côte d'Ivoire. The subspecies is paler than the other subspecies, it has a dirty-white belly and sand-colored feet. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium isabellinus : from Togo to eastern Nigeria. The animals are relatively dark and the reddish coloring is very indistinct. The tail is clearly banded in black. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium keniae : on the western slope of the Mount Kenya massif . The subspecies has yellow colorations on the sides of the head, the tail has yellow and black banding. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium leakyi : in the east of Kenya around Garissa .
Heliosciurus rufobrachium leonensis : in Sierra Leone. The subspecies corresponds to Heliosciurus rufobrachium caurinus , but is a little stronger in color. The fur on the back is darker, the legs are more distinctly red and the feet are grayish ocher and black. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium lualabae : in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The subspecies is small, dark with a fine mottling and has white to sand-colored tail rings.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium maculatus : from eastern Sierra Leone to Ghana. The subspecies is dark and has a deep red color on the front legs and the inner sides of the hips. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium medjianus : in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ventral side is solid brown with a striking white chest. The throat and central areas of the forelegs are pale to dull reddish. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium nyansae : in the Nyando river bed in western Kenya, in Rwanda, Burundi and in western Tanzania. The chin, the sides of the head and the sides of the legs are colored rust-red. The tail is black with gray rings.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium obfuscatus : in southeastern Nigeria and on the Cameroon Mountain . The subspecies is very dark with dark brown and ocher feet and a black and ocher tail. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium occidentalis : In the area of Cuita in Guinea-Bissau. The head, back and legs are solid brown. The ears, throat, neck and the lower half of the face are reddish, as is the base of the tail and the inside of the thighs. The tail has about 25 black rings.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium pasha : in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The back and the base of the tail are clearly reddish, the feet and the belly are brightly reddish and on the inside of the thighs the animals have no reddish coloring. The belly is covered by thin whitish-gray hair and clearly set off from the back. *
Heliosciurus rufobrachium rubricatus : in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This subspecies is clearly red and also has a distinct reddish color on the back. The sides of the legs and the underside of the tail are maroon.
Heliosciurus rufobrachium semlikii : on Semliki in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The subspecies corresponds to Heliosciurus rufobrachium nyansae , but is grayer and finely speckled in overall appearance. The center line on the back is indistinctly yellow. *

In Wilson & Reeder 2005 Thorington also described Heliosciurus rufobrachium brauni . Emmons 2013 reduced the number to 14 subspecies (marked with *). The assignment of Heliosciurus rufobrachium aubryi and Heliosciurus rufobrachium emissus to the species is questionable.

Status, threat and protection

The red-footed sun squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered ("least concern"). This is justified with the large distribution area and the assumed large stocks. It is also found in numerous protected areas and does not show any significant decreases. There are no known risks to the company's existence.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 227-229. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Louise H. Emmons: Heliosciurus rufobrachium, Red-Legged Sun 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. 66-68; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

^ Peter Grubb: Genus Heliosciurus, Sun 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. 61-62; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c Heliosciurus rufobrachium in the IUCN 2015-4 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: P. Grubb, MRN Ekué, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Heliosciurus rufobrachium 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 .

literature

Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 227-229. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Louise H. Emmons: Heliosciurus rufobrachium, Red-Legged Sun 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. 66-68; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

Web links

Heliosciurus rufobrachium inthe IUCN 2015-4 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: P. Grubb, MRN Ekué, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

[Thorington_et_al._2012-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 227-229. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

[Emmons_2013-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Louise H. Emmons: Heliosciurus rufobrachium, Red-Legged Sun 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. 66-68; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

[Grubb_2013-3] Peter Grubb: Genus Heliosciurus, Sun 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. 61-62; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .