The Père David's rock squirrel (''Sciurotamias davidianus''), also known as the Chinese rock squirrel, is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. ...

. It is

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 els ...

to China, where it is found widely in rocky habitats in the eastern and central parts of the country. This largely

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

squirrel is overall dull

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

-grey with paler underparts, a distinct pale eye-ring and a dark patch on the cheeks. It has sometimes been confused with the rather different –but in colour very variable–

Pallas's squirrel Pallas's squirrel (''Callosciurus erythraeus''), also known as the red-bellied tree squirrel, is a species of squirrel native to Greater China, India, and Southeast Asia. Description Pallas's squirrel is a medium-sized tree squirrel, with a ...

; an introduced population in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

was first mistakenly identified as Père David's rock squirrel.Stuyck, Baert, Breyne & Adriaens (2010).
Invasion history and control of a Pallas squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus population in Dadizele, Belgium.
' Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek.

References

External links

Rodents of China Sciurotamias Mammals described in 1867 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{ground-squirrel-stub