South Amazon red squirrel
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South Amazon red squirrel ( Sciurus spadiceus ) |
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| Sciurus spadiceus | ||||||||||||
| Olfers , 1818 |
The South Amazon red squirrel ( Sciurus spadiceus ) is a species of squirrel from the genus of squirrels ( Sciurus ). It occurs in northern to central South America.
features
The South Amazon red squirrel reaches a head-trunk length of about 24.0 to 29.0 centimeters, plus a tail that is about 23.5 to 34.0 centimeters long. The weight is 570 to 660 grams. The back color of the animals is dark chestnut brown to rusty red-orange with black coloring. The ears are only finely haired and rise clearly above the forehead, which is often colored black. There are no spots behind the ears (postauricular spots) or they are only very indistinct. The feet are dark red with black parts or completely black. The color of the ventral side is sharply demarcated from the back color, it is pale orange, white or yellowish. The tail is bushy and black at the base, orange to rust-red towards the end. Occasionally melanism occurs in animals.
distribution
The South Amazon red squirrel occurs in northern to central South America in Colombia , Ecuador , Bolivia , Brazil and Peru .
Way of life
The South Amazon red squirrel lives in the area of the lowland rainforests on the Amazon as well as in the lower areas of the Andes , it occurs in primary forest and also in disturbed forest areas. The animals are diurnal and feed primarily herbivorous especially from tree fruits and nuts. In some regions they have specialized in very hard-shelled seeds that they can gnaw on with the help of their powerful jaws. Regionally, seeds of Astrocaryum , Dipteryx and Scheelea species represent up to 98% of the animals' diet. Their presence can be determined very well on the basis of the very loud gnawing noises. The seeds are collected on the ground and individual individuals are able to remove hundreds of seeds from trees and palms within a short period of time. In the canopy, the animals rarely move; instead, if there is a potential danger, they run into the undergrowth on the ground. Calls are seldom; in case of danger they produce a short series of low-frequency "chucks".
Well-known predators include big cats such as the ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ) and the jaguar ( Panthera onca ), as well as hunting dogs trained to hunt for squirrels .
Systematics
The South Amazon red squirrel is classified as an independent species within the squirrel genus ( Sciurus ), which consists of almost 30 species. The first scientific description comes from Ignaz von Olfers from 1818, who described the species using individuals from Cuiabá in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso . Together with the North Amazon red squirrel ( Sciurus igniventris ) it is occasionally assigned to the subgenus Urosciurus .
Within the species, three subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form :
- Sciurus spadiceus spadiceus : nominate form; lives in brazil. The back color is grayish-pale to dark yellowish-red. The color of the abdomen is ocher-sand-colored and the animals have reddish-orange washings on the cheeks and head.
- Sciurus spadiceus steinbachi : occurs in Bolivia. It is a large form with a grayish-pale to dark yellowish-red color on the back. The color of the abdomen is sand-ocher and the animals have yellowish washes on their cheeks and head.
- Sciurus spadiceus tricolor : lives in Ecuador and Peru. The back color is dark to black-brown with ocher-colored washings, the belly is pale yellow.
Status, threat and protection
The South Amazon red squirrel is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified with the large distribution area, the assumed large population numbers and the comparatively small decline in the population. The greatest threat comes from the decline in habitats and the associated fragmentation; regionally, the animals are also hunted as a source of meat.
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, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 68-69 .
- ↑ a b c Sciurus spadiceus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.3. Posted by: G. Amori, J. Koprowski, L. Roth, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d Sciurus spadiceus 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, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 68-69 .
Web links
- Sciurus spadiceus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.3. Posted by: G. Amori, J. Koprowski, L. Roth, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2015.