Pallas's Squirrel
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Pallas's squirrel (''Callosciurus erythraeus''), also known as the red-bellied tree squirrel, is a species of
squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...
native to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
.


Description

Pallas's squirrel is a medium-sized
tree squirrel Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel Family (biology), 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 ...
, with a head-body length of , and a tail in length. Both sexes are of similar size and appearance, and weigh between . The colour of the pelt varies considerably between the many different subspecies, but is generally brownish on the upper body with a more reddish tint on the belly, and often with some black on the tail. The precise pattern and shades of the fur are often used to distinguish subspecies from one another, but make it difficult to distinguish the species as a whole from other, similarly variable, tree squirrel species.


Subspecies

Over 30 subspecies have been identified, although not all are recognised by all authorities: * ''C. e. erythraeus'' * ''C. e. atrodorsalis'' * ''C. e. bartoni'' * ''C. e. bhutanensis'' * ''C. e. bonhotei'' * ''C. e. castaneoventris'' * ''C. e. erythrogaster'' * ''C. e. flavimanus'' * ''C. e. gloveri'' * ''C. e. gongshanensis'' * ''C. e. gordoni'' * ''C. e. griseimanus'' * ''C. e. griseopectus'' * ''C. e. haringtoni'' * ''C. e. hendeei'' * ''C. e. hyperythrus'' * ''C. e. intermedius'' * ''C. e. michianus'' * ''C. e. ningpoensis'' * ''C. e. pranis'' * ''C. e. qinglingensis'' * ''C. e. rubeculus'' * ''C. e. shanicus'' * ''C. e. siamensis'' * ''C. e. sladeni'' * ''C. e. styani'' * ''C. e. thai'' * ''C. e. thaiwanensis'' * ''C. e. wuliangshanensis'' * ''C. e. wulingshanensis'' * ''C. e. zhaotongensis'' * ''C. e. zimmeensis''


Distribution and habitat

Pallas's squirrel is found throughout much of southeastern Asia, including far eastern
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
, northern and eastern
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, parts of
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
and
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, much of
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, northern peninsular
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, and southern and eastern
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, including
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
. Within this region, they are found within a range of forest habitats below elevation, including tropical and subtropical evergreen, deciduous broadleaf, and subalpine
conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
woodlands. Populations have been introduced in the
Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
of
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Dadizele Moorslede () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Dadizele, Slypskapelle and Moorslede proper. On 1 January 2006, Moorslede had a total popul ...
in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
(where initially mistaken for
Père David's rock squirrel The Père David's rock squirrel (''Sciurotamias davidianus''), also known as the Chinese rock squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to China, where it is found widely in rocky habitats in the eastern and central ...
), the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, Cap d'Antibes in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.Stuyck, Baert, Breyne & Adriaens (2010).
Invasion history and control of a Pallas squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus population in Dadizele, Belgium.
' Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek
In these regions it is considered an
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
, as it can cause considerable damage to trees and may outcompete native wildlife such as the
red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...
. In 2016, the species was included in the European list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that it cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.


Biology

Like all tree squirrels, Pallas's squirrels are primarily
herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...
. They eat a wide range of different foods, and have differing diets in different parts of their broad range. However, primary foodstuffs include leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruit. They also eat small quantities of insects, as well as occasional bird eggs. The squirrels breed throughout the year, and may mate again as soon as they have weaned a previous litter. Gestation lasts 47 to 49 days, and results in the birth of up to four young, with two being typical. The young leave the nest at 40 to 50 days old, and are sexually mature at one year of age. They have lived for up to 17 years in captivity.


Behaviour

Pallas's squirrels are diurnal, and inhabit much of the forest canopy, and construct both leaf nests above the ground, and less commonly, in burrows. Females occupy
home range A home range is the area in which an animal lives and moves on a periodic basis. It is related to the concept of an animal's territory which is the area that is actively defended. The concept of a home range was introduced by W. H. Burt in 1943. ...
s of just , which usually do not overlap, while males occupy much larger ranges of , which overlap with those of both nearby males and females. Like many other squirrels, they have been observed to cache acorns in the autumn. The squirrels make calls to warn neighbours of predators, and have been observed to mob tree-climbing snakes, with females protecting young being particularly likely to join in. Males also make loud calls both prior to and after mating.


References

{{Authority control Callosciurus Rodents of Southeast Asia Mammals of Asia Rodents of Bangladesh Rodents of Myanmar Rodents of Cambodia Rodents of China Rodents of India Rodents of Laos Rodents of Malaysia Mammals of Taiwan Rodents of Thailand Rodents of Vietnam Mammals described in 1779 Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas