conservation.arizona.edu - Peru

Sciurus sanborni

thackerk1 — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 22:15:49 +0000

Authors

Rosa R. Palmer

John L. Koprowski

Sciurus sanborni Osgood, 1944 is a rodent commonly called Sanborn’s squirrel or ardilla de Sanborn. S. sanborni is a small squirrel with olive brown dorsum, buff eye rings, and usually, white underparts. S. sanborni is 1 of 28 species in the genus Sciurus, and a rare endemic of Peru that is found in lowland Amazonian forest between 300 and 580 m elevation. The Peruvian Ministry of the Environment classifies S. sanborni as “Vulnerable” and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources considers the species to be “Data Deficient;” habitat destruction is the main threat.

Additional Information

Mammalian Species 49:93-96.

Date of publication:

2017

Topics

endemic species

Neotropics

Sanborn’s squirrel

tree squirrel

ardilla de Sanborn

Peru

Research Categories

Natural History

Merrick, M. J., J. L. Koprowski, and R. N. Gwinn. 2012. Sciurus stramineus (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Mammalian Species 44: 44-50

thackerk1 — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 23:31:56 +0000

Authors

Melissa J. Merrick

John L. Koprowski

R. Nathan Gwinn

Sciurus stramineus Eydoux and Souleyet, 1841, is a large-bodied squirrel commonly called the Guayaquil squirrel. S. stramineus is characterized by a distinct grizzled-gray pelage with dark feet and ears, a long tail, and a distinctive white ‘‘collar’’ behind the ears. It is native to the western slope of the Andes, occurring from dry or humid tropical forests at sea level to high- elevation montane forests up to 2,000 m in Ecuador and Peru. S. stramineus is adaptable, adjusting to anthropogenic changes and living close to human settlements, in coffee plantations, with an introduced population in Lima, Peru. Because of a tolerance for living in proximity to humans, S. stramineus is also a concern for transmission of diseases such as leptospirosis and Chagas disease.

Additional Information

Sciurus stramineus (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Date of publication:

2012

Topics

Guayaquil squirrel

Ecuador

introduced species

tree squirrel

sciurid

Peru

Merrick, M. J., S. L. Ketcham, and J. L. Koprowski. 2014. Sciurus ignitus (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Mammalian Species 46:93-100.

thackerk1 — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 23:26:36 +0000

Authors

Melissa J. Merrick

Shari L. Ketcham

John L. Koprowski

Sciurus ignitus (Gray, 1867) is a Neotropical tree squirrel commonly known as the Bolivian squirrel. It is a small-bodied, understory and mid-canopy dweller that occurs within the evergreen lowland and montane tropical rain forests along the eastern slope of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, and extreme northern Argentina, and the western Amazon Basin in Brazil and Peru between 200 and 2,700 m in elevation. S. ignitus is 1 of 28 species in the genus Sciurus, and 1 of 8 in the subgenus Guerlinguetus. The taxonomic status of this species, as with other small sciurids in Peru and Bolivia, remains ambiguous. S. ignitus is currently listed as ‘‘Data Deficient’’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Additional Information

Sciurus ignitus (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Date of publication:

2014

Topics

Andes

Bolivian squirrel

Neotropics

Peru

tree squirrel

Jessen, R. R., G. H. Palmer, and J. L. Koprowski. 2013. Neotropical pygmy squirrels (Sciurillus pusillus) share termite nests. Ecotropica 19:73-76.

thackerk1 — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 18:50:19 +0000

Authors

Rosa R. Jessen

Geoffrey H. Palmer

John L. Koprowski

Nest-site selection is important for reproduction (Benson et al. 2008) and also provides a place for other activities such as resting and shelter or protection from weather and predators (Sealander Jr. 1952, Steele & Koprowski 2001). Nesting habits are also influenced by level of sociality, and can confer fitness advantages (Alexander 1974). Communal nesting is an example of increased sociality found in mammals, including tree squirrels (Wolff & Lidicker Jr. 1981, Layne & Raymond 1994, Koprowski 1996, Ebensperger et al. 2004). Sociality among tree squirrels is poorly understood and communal nesting occurs only rarely in some species of tree squirrels in temperate forests (Halloran & Bekoff 1994, Layne & Raymond 1994, Koprowski 1996).

Tree squirrels in temperate regions nest in cavities of trees, dreys (arboreal bolus structures constructed of twigs and leaves), and occasionally also in burrows (Steele & Koprowski 2001, Thorington Jr. et al. 2012). Diversity of tree squirrels is highest in the tropics, with 19 species occurring in the Neotropics, but few studies have been conducted in these areas (Koprowski & Nandini 2008). Little is known about nesting habits of Neotropical tree squirrels but they appear to use drey and cavity nests (Emmons & Feer 1997). Many Neotropical tree squirrels are believed to be solitary (Emmons & Feer 1997) but some species, such as northern and southern Amazon red squirrels (Sciurus igniventris, S. spadiceus), and Neo-tropical pygmy squirrels (Sciurillus pusillus, Geoffroy 1803), forage in groups of ≤ 4 individuals (Heymann & Knogge 1997, Eason 2010, R. Jessen, pers. obs.). Neotropical pygmy squirrels are diurnal and the smallest tree squirrels in the western hemisphere, but there is a substantial lack of information about their life history and ecology (Emmons & Feer 1997, Koprowski & Nandini 2008). Here we report our observations of Neotropical pygmy squirrels using termite nests to nest communally.

Additional Information

Neotropical pygmy squirrels (Sciurillus Pusillus) share termite nests

Date of publication:

2013

Topics

Neotropical pygmy squirrels

communal nesting

social behavior

Peru

tree squirrel

igapó

Loreto