The variegated squirrel (''Sciurus variegatoides'') is a

tree squirrel Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels." They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania. They do not form a single natural, o ...

in the genus ''

Sciurus The genus ''Sciurus'' contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America. Species The number of species in the genus is subject to change. In 2005, Thorington & Hoff ...

'' found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. Fifteen subspecies are recognised. It is a common squirrel and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has rated it a "

least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

". Variegated squirrels kept as pets in Germany have been implicated in the transmission of a

bornavirus ''Bornaviridae'' is a family of negative-strand RNA viruses in the order '' Mononegavirales''. Horses, sheep, cattle, rodents, birds, reptiles, and humans serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with bornaviruses include Borna disease, a f ...

to humans from which three people have died.

Description

The variegated squirrel is a medium-sized squirrel; the head-and-body length is about with a tail of much the same length. It weighs about . The several subspecies differ in appearance and there is often a considerable variation between the appearances of individuals in the same population. The dorsal colouration varies between dark brown to yellowish grey. The neck tends to be darker than other parts and there is often a paler patch behind the ears. The underparts are usually some shade of cinnamon. The tail is long and densely bushy; in Mexico it is black, sometimes with white tips to the hairs giving it a frosted appearance. In Nicaragua and Costa Rica, some individuals have pale underparts and tails.

Distribution and habitat

This squirrel is native to Central America, its range extending from Mexico southwards through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Habitats in which it occurs include both dry deciduous forest and evergreen forest, secondary growth, and plantations, and it can become a crop pest. It is mainly a lowland squirrel, ranging up to an altitude of , or somewhat higher in Costa Rica. File:Variegated Squirre 2.jpg, ''S. v. rigidus'' in San José, Costa Rica File:Sciurus variegatoides atrirufus CR.JPG, ''S. v. atrirufus'' in

Tamarindo Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agricultur ...

, Costa Rica File:Sciurus variegatoides atrirufus (descending).jpg, ''S. v. atrirufus'' in Montezuma,

Nicoya Peninsula The Nicoya Peninsula () is a peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is divided into two provinces: Guanacaste Province in the north, and the Puntarenas Province in the south. It is located at . It varies from 19 to wide and is approx ...

, Costa Rica File:Sciurus variegatoides in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua.jpg, ''S. v. dorsalis'' rescued from the pet trade, raised in Estacion Biologica, Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua, and returned to the wild

Ecology

The species is diurnal and seldom descends to the ground; it spends the night in a nest it builds which is sometimes in a hole in a tree but more often is constructed of leaves and built in the fork of a branch close to the trunk. This squirrel is primarily a seed-eater, but also consumes fruits and some animal matter in the form of insects and nestlings. It tends to avoid hard shelled seeds but does consume acorns. Unlike some other squirrels in colder climates, it does not hoard food and therefore plays little part in the dispersal of seeds.

Status

''S. variegatoides'' has a wide range and is a common species. No particular threats have been identified and the population seems steady, so the

has rated its conservation status as "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Bornavirus

In 2015, a

now known as "variegated squirrel 1 bornavirus" (VSBV-1) was detected in some variegated squirrels kept as pets in eastern Germany. Three squirrel breeders who lived in this region and associated with each other, died over a two-year period from a progressive encephalitis caused by a novel virus. Research into the causes of their illness and deaths implicated the variegated squirrel as a carrier of the virus, with a genomic study identifying a new virus similar to

mammalian 1 bornavirus The Borna disease viruses 1 and 2 (BoDV-1 and BoDV-2) are members of the species ''Mammalian 1 orthobornavirus'' and cause Borna disease in mammals. Virology Genome BoDV-1/2 have the smallest genome (8.9 kilobases) of any ''Mononegavi ...

in the liver, kidney and lung of one squirrel specimen. As a result of their investigations, the researchers concluded that in all three human fatalities, VSBV-1 was the likely causative agent. Further investigation in 2016 found more squirrels in western Germany carrying the disease. It is not clear whether the disease originated in Germany or whether the pathogen was introduced into the country through the importation of already-infected animals.

References

External links

''Sciurus variegatoides'' in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua, 2011-06-16

* ttp://lagunadeapoyo.blogspot.com/2017/07/animal-rescue-xxiii-variegated-squirrels.html Animal Rescue in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua, 2017-07-01 {{Taxonbar, from=Q508774 Sciurus Rodents of Central America Mammals described in 1839 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot