283.

Cooper's Mountain Squirrel

Paraxerus cooperi

French: Ecureuil de Cooper / German: Cooper-Buschhdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de matorral de Cooper

Other common names: Cooper's Bush Squirrel

Taxonomy. Sciurus coopert Hayman, 1950,

“Rumpi Hills, Kumba Division, Cam-

eroon.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Forested montane areas N of the Sanaga River in SE Nigeria, and W Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c¢.195-200 mm, tail ¢.190 mm; weight ¢.250 g. Dorsal pelage of Cooper's Mountain Squirrel is dark brown, grizzled with buff,

grading to olive-green and golden distally. Under parts are medium gray, with yellow highlights. Forelimbs, dorsal surfaces of forefeet, and hindfeet are light rufous; thighs are deep rufous. Overall pelage is long and soft. Head is darker, butlips and cheeks are golden. Ears are sparsely covered with yellow-tipped hairs, which are darkly pigmented against the skin. Long tail is a dark golden green.

Habitat. Montane tropical moist forest fragments and fringes at elevations above 1400 m.

Food and Feeding. Cooper’s Mountain Squirrels have been reported to consume flowers from the tree (Pentadesma butyracea, Clusiaceae).

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. Cooper’s Mountain Squirrel is diurnal and arboreal, and it might prefer to forage in the lower canopy.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Cooper’s Mountain Squirrel is poorly known, with little information available on its distribution, ecological requirements, and population size.

Bibliography. Dowsett & Dowsett-Lemaire (1989), Eisentraut (1973, 1976), Rosevear (1969), Thorington et al. (2012).