Sanborn's squirrel (''Sciurus sanborni'') is or was a little known

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 ...

described in 1944 from the skin and skeleton of a single female specimen collected in Peru in 1941. Subsequently, over the proceeding years only a handful of either specimens were collected, or observations were recorded, in the regions of Madre de Dios and northern

Puno Puno (Aymara and qu, Punu) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was establish ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and Pando department in Bolivia (single sighting, Conservation International, 1992). The 2019 IUCN assessment describes it as

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Peru. In 2015 this taxon was synonymised with ''Notosciurus pucheranii'' ssp. ''boliviensis''. Its

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is tropical dry broadleaf forests at elevations up to 570 m. It is considered possibly rare and potentially vulnerable to

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

, but its population trend is not established.

References

Sciurus Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 1944 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Squirrel-stub