Protoxerus stanger (Waterhouse, 1842)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819067 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFB5-ED48-FFD9-F3F2F8ECFD2C |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Protoxerus stanger |
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Forest Giant Squirrel
French: Ecureuil de Stanger / German: Olpalmenhdrnchen / Spanish: Ardilla gigante de bosque
Other common names: African Giant Squirrel
Taxonomy. Sciurus stangeri Waterhouse, 1842 ,
“Fernando Po,”
Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.
Twelve subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.s.stangeriWaterhouse,1842—BiokoI.
P.s.beaHeller,1912—KakamegaForest(WKenya).
P.s.cooperiKingdon,1971—SangoBayForest(Uganda).
P.s.eborivorusDuChaillu,1860—ENigeriaStoGabon,andEtoUbangiRiverinDRCongo.
P.s.kaboboVerheyen,1960—MtKabobo(DRCongo).
P.s.kwangoVerheyen,1960—nearKasongaLunda,BandunduProvince(SWDRCongo).
P.s.loandaeThomas,1906—NAngola.
P.s.nigeriaeThomas,1906—betweenVoltaRiverinGhanaandNigerRiverinNigeria.
P.s.personatusKershaw,1923—betweenOgoouéRiver(Gabon)andCongoRiver(DRCongo).
P.s.signatusThomas,1910—betweentheCongoandKasairivers(SDRCongo).
P.s. temminckiiJ. Anderson, 1879 — Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia E through Ivory Coast to Ghana (E to Volta River).
Descriptive notes. Head—body ¢.276-305 mm,tail ¢.298-308 mm; weight c.538-761 g. The Forest Giant Squirrel is large-bodied and has agouti-brown dorsal pelage and limbs, grayish head, and pale buff eye ring. Venter is sparsely haired and typically white or yellowish. Some individuals have dark or black spot above sides of neck. Subspecies are highly variable and are described primarily based upon geographical location and minor pelage variation. Subspecies eborivorus has black and red dorsal pelage, rufous and whitish head, gray throat and chest, brown abdomen, and red feet. Tail is black at base, changing to rufous and then black-and-white rings in middle sections, with black distal tip.
Habitat. Large seed-producing forests including lowland evergreen rainforests, open woodlands, swamp forests, and montane forests. The Forest Giant Squirrel can tolerate disturbance and is found in secondary and edge forests, plantations, and forested gardens.
Food and Feeding. The Forest Giant Squirrel is strongly herbivorous, preferring seeds from tree and liana species such as Panda oleosa (Pandaceae), Coula edulis (Olacaceae), and various species of Klainedoxa and Irvingia, both Irvingiaceae; Elaeis (Arecaceae); Pseudospondias (Anacardiaceae); Musanga (Urticaceae); Parinari (Chrysobalanaceae) and Chrysophyllum (Sapotaceae); Carapa (Meliaceae), Caloncoba (Achariaceae), Cordia (Boraginaceae), Urera (Urticaceae), and Phoenix (Arecaceae). When encountered, arthropods and nesting birds are eaten. Subspecies eborivorus eats animal matter on freshly fallen tusks of recently deceased elephants.
Breeding. Male Forest Giant Squirrels chase estrous females before mating. Females appear to reproduce 1-2 times annually and produce 1-2 young in each litter.
Activity patterns. The Forest Giant Squirrel is diurnal and active from dawn to midto late afternoon. It is arboreal and lives and forages almost exclusively in the upper canopy. When moving, it holds its tail straight out behind its body.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Forest Giant Squirrel nests in cavities in tree trunks and forks of branches lined with fresh leaves and twigs; nests are commonly reused for many seasons. Individuals are solitary and chase or avoid conspecifics except to mate. Female home ranges are 3-2-5 ha. Communication is common with two calls; mild sense of alarm is conveyed with repeated sniffs or sneezes alternated with tooth chatters and heightened alarm results in series of pulses of descending frequency, resembling short whinnies repeated every 5-20 seconds.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Forest Giant Squirrel is widespread and presumably has large populations. It occurs in protected areas and tolerates some degree of habitat modification. No information is available on population trends. It is sometimes hunted for bushmeat.
Bibliography. Amtmann (1966), Emmons (1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 2013h), Gautier-Hion et al. (1980), Kingdon (1971), Rosevear (1969), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
