Yucatan squirrel
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The Yucatan squirrel (, ''Sciurus yucatanensis''), originally named the Yucatan gray squirrel, also once named the Campeche squirrel, 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 the
Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
and adjacent areas. It is native to northern
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, northeastern Guatemala, and southeast
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 ...
.


Biology

The Yucatan squirrel lives in dry deciduous and evergreen forests, semiarid pine-oak woodlands, and secondary forest growing in formerly logged areas. They are found in lowlands below an
altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
of . They are active during the day and rest during the night, spending most of their time in trees. They are most active in the early morning, but may be seen sunning on a branch later in the day. Their
drey A drey is the nest of a tree squirrel, flying squirrel or ringtail possum. Dreys are usually built of twigs, dry leaves, and grass, and typically assembled in the forks of a tall tree. They are sometimes referred to as "drey nests" to distin ...
s (or nests), to be found in branches high up in the trees, are built from leaves and twigs. Their food consists of soft fruit, nuts and seeds, whilst Reid in 2009 concluded that their main diet consists of flowers, buds, and shoots. Females generally give birth to two or three young during the April to August
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
. They are predated by
birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
, wild cats and dogs,
procyonids Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It comprises the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous. Characte ...
, primates, and snakes.


Dimensions and description

The Yucatan squirrel is long, larger in size than the
Eastern gray squirrel The eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis''), also known, particularly outside of North America, as simply the grey squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodi ...
(''Sciurus carolinensis''). The Yucatan squirrel, Collie's squirrel (''S. colliaei''), and the variegated squirrel (''S. variegatoides'') have similar fur colours and patterns, but differ in size. The relatively long adult tail of has a length of . Both sexes are the same size, with a mass of . Its
Pelage Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...
is coarse and harsh. The upper parts of the body are coloured black and grey, with additional yellow to
ochraceous Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional ...
colourings. The lower body is colured off-white, yellow-grey and black. The tail is white, with a well-defined lines of black, and black on either side of the central white area. The tail hairs are shorter than on the head and body. The face has a buff-coloured patch above the nose, with the sides of head coloured mainly black. The grey, brown and white ears are narrow and pointed, tufted and an off-white colour from November to February in northern populations and from February to April in southern populations. The skull of ''S. yucatanensis'' is short and broad, with a length of about , the facial portion being particularly short.


Taxonomy

This
taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...
was originally described as a variety of the
gray squirrel Gray squirrel or grey squirrel may refer to several species of squirrel indigenous to North America: *The eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis''), from the eastern United States and southeastern Canada; introduced into the United Kingdom, I ...
as ''Sciurus carolinensis'' var. ''yucatanensis'' by the American zoologist
Joel Asaph Allen Joel Asaph Allen (July 19, 1838 – August 29, 1921) was an American zoologist, mammalogist, and ornithologist. He became the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union, the first curator of birds and mammals at the American Museum of ...
in 1877, based on four specimens he received from
Mérida, Yucatán Mérida () is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and the largest city in southeastern Mexico. The city is also the seat of the eponymous Municipality. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula, about 35 km (22 ...
, collected by the German-American collector Arthur Schott in 1865. In his 1877 report ''Monographs of North American Rodentia'', Allen mused if it was not more appropriate to name the animal as a separate
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, based on the observed distinctiveness of the specimens he had collected. He coined the name 'Yucatan gray squirrel'. ''S. yucatanensis'' ssp. ''baliolus'' was published by the American naturalist
Edward William Nelson Edward William Nelson (May 8, 1855 – May 19, 1934) was an American naturalist and ethnologist. A collector of specimens and field naturalist of repute, he became a member of several expeditions to survey the fauna and flora. He was part o ...
in 1901, based on a specimen from Apazote, in Campeche, Mexico. ''S. yucatanensis'' ssp. ''phaeopus'' was published by George G. Goodwin in 1932 based on 11 specimens collected in Secanquim and Finca Chamá, in
Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and ...
, Guatemala. Three subspecies are recognised: * ''S. yucatanensis yucatanensis'' (J.A. Allen), 1877 - Found within the end of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican states of
Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...
, southwest to Campeche up to the
Champotón Municipality Champotón Municipality is a municipalities of Mexico, municipality within the state of Campeche, including the city of Champotón, Campeche, Champotón and the surrounding area. In 2010 the municipality of Champotón had a population of 83,021 i ...
and
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
, and further south to the northern Belize districts of
Orange Walk Orange marches are a series of parades by members of the Orange Order and other Protestant fraternal societies, held during the summer months in various Commonwealth nations, most notably Ulster. The parades typically build up to 12 July ce ...
and Corozal. It has the largest known distribution. It is found in arid woodlands. * ''S. yucatanensis baliolus'' Nelson, 1901 - Found further southwest from the range of the nominate form in a band across the Yucatán Peninsula from the
Champotón Municipality Champotón Municipality is a municipalities of Mexico, municipality within the state of Campeche, including the city of Champotón, Campeche, Champotón and the surrounding area. In 2010 the municipality of Champotón had a population of 83,021 i ...
and southwest of the
Laguna de Términos Laguna de Términos is the largest tidal lagoon by volume located entirely on the Gulf of Mexico, as well as one of the most biodiverse. Exchanging water with several rivers and lagoons, the Laguna is part of the most important hydrographic riv ...
in Campeche State and eastern
Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...
State north of the
Usumacinta River The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas ...
in Mexico, through northeast
Petén Department Petén is a department of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest by area at it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores. The population at the mid-2018 o ...
in Guatemala, to Cayo and
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
districts in Belize. It is distinguished from the nominate form by virtue of a darker pelage. It inhabits more moist, evergreen woodlands than the nominate form. Nelson coined the name Campeche squirrel for it in 1901. * ''S. yucatanensis phaeopus'' Goodwin, 1932 - Found at the base of the Yucatán Peninsula from the Mexican states of northwestern and eastern Chiapas east to southern Petén and
Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and ...
departments of Guatemala and further east along the coast of
Belize District Belize District is a district of the nation of Belize. Its capital is Belize City. Geography Most of the Belize District is in the east central mainland of Belize; the Belize District also includes various offshore islands, including Amber ...
in Belize. It is distinguished from the other subspecies being the darkest of the three, possessing black legs, tail and at the base of the ears. It was originally found inhabiting pine-oak woodlands at an altitude of around .


Interaction with humans

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 ...
is considered to be a 'major threat' to the population, which may also be affected by hunting, in particular in the northern end of the Yucatán Peninsula.


References


External links


Photos of Yucatán Squirrel ''Sciurus yucatanensis''
from
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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q375300 Yucatan squirrel Mammals of Mexico Rodents of Central America Rodents of North America Mammals described in 1877 Yucatan squirrel Taxonomy articles created by Polbot