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Yucatan Squirrel

Sciurus yucatanensis

French: Ecureuil du Yucatan / German: Yucatan-Hérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla de Yucatan

Taxonomy. Sciurus yucatanensis J. A. Allen, 1877,

“Merida, Yucatan,”

Mexico.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S.y.yucatanensisJ.A.Allen,1877—NYucatanPeninsula(Mexico).

S.y.baliolusNelson,1901—CYucatanPeninsula(Mexico).

S. y. phaeopus Goodwin, 1932 — S Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, and N Guatemala.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 200-322 mm, tail 194-271 mm; weight 320-540 g. The Yucatan Squirrel has black-and-white to gray grizzled dorsal pelage, often washed with olive-brown or tawny. Buffy postauricular patch and buff-to-white short ear tufts are often present; feet are dark brown, charcoal, or black. Underside is buff, gray, or grizzled black and white. Tail can be bushy and is black at core, frosted with white to buff. Subspecies differ primarily in color of venter. Nominate yucatanensis is the palest; phaeopus is the darkest, with black legs and patches at bases of ears; and baliolus is intermediate, with buffy venter and absence of dark patches.

Habitat. Forests of moist mangrove swamps, primary deciduous and evergreen forests, semiarid pine-oak (Pinus, Pinaceae, and Quercus, Fagaceae) woodlands, and secondary forests. The Yucatan Squirrel can occur in coffee and cacao plantations and similar agricultural lands.

Food and Feeding. The Yucatan Squirrel forages on the ground and in the canopy. It is primarily herbivorous and feeds on soft fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, buds, and shoots, but it also occasionally eats insects.

Breeding. Litters of 3-4 young are born following the rainy breeding season.

Activity patterns. Yucatan Squirrels are diurnal and active throughout the year; daily activity generally starts soon after sunrise.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Yucatan Squirrel constructs spherical dreys of leaves and twigs on branches high in the canopy.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Yucatan Squirrel is stable. More knowledge of ecology and threats would be helpful for conservation and management efforts. Yucatan Squirrels can damage agricultural crops such as corn and mango. This moderate-sized squirrel is sometimes hunted for meat and pelts and is commonly kept as a pet in local areas. Deforestation is the major conservation threat, but populations seem to be resilient to modest timber harvest and fragmentation.

Bibliography. Best et al. (1995), Ceballos (2014), Falle-Menéndez et al. (2005), Gerhardt et al. (1993), Le6n & Montiel (2008), Pozo de la Tijera & Escobedo (1999), Reid (1997), Thorington et al. (2012).