Sciurus nayaritensis, J. A. Allen, 1890
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818768 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFEA-ED17-FAC9-FC74F95DFBF5 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Sciurus nayaritensis |
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Mexican Fox Squirrel
Sciurus nayaritensis View in CoL
French: Ecureuil du Nayarit / German: Mexiko-Fuchshérnchen / Spanish: Ardilla zorro de México
Other common names: Apache Squirrel, Chiricahua Fox Squirrel, Nayarit Squirrel
Taxonomy. Sciurus nayaritensis J. A. Allen, 1890 View in CoL ,
“Sierra Valparaiso, Zacatecas,”
Mexico.
Three subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
S.n.nayaritensisJ.A.Allen,1890—SSierraMadreOccidental,fromSDurangotoNColima,WCMexico.
S.n.apache].A.Allen,1893—SierraMadreOccidentalfromESonoraandWChihuahuatoDurango,NWMexico.
S. n. chiricahuae Goldman, 1933 — Chiricahua Mts in SE Arizona (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head—body mean 248-2 mm (males) and 259-1 mm (females), tail mean 245-8 mm (males) and 254-5 mm (females); weight mean 761 g (males) and 669 g (females). The Mexican Fox Squirrel has grizzled brown dorsum, with yellow, orange, or rufous venter and charcoal tail frosted with buff to white. Winter pelage is more rufous, and scrotum is often ringed with white. Nominate nayaritensis is diminutive, with more yellow in pelage. Subspecies apache is intermediate and color. Subspecies chiricahuae is large, and reddish throughout its pelage.
Habitat. Dry forests from low-elevation (above 1500 m) Madrean pine (Pinus, Pinaceae)oak (Quercus, Fagaceae) forests to higher-elevation (c.2700 m) mixed conifer forests. Riparian areas with large cottonwoods (Populus, Salicaceae) and sycamores (Platanus, Platanaceae) often harbor highest densities of Mexican Fox Squirrels.
Food and Feeding. The Mexican Fox Squirrel forages heavily on the ground but also regularly uses the canopy. It feeds on tree seeds, flowers, and fungi. Seeds are removed and consumed from cones of pines (Pinus), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and true firs (Abies), all Pinaeae. Acorns (Quercus) and walnuts (Juglans, Juglandaceae) are readily eaten when available. Hypogeous and epigeous fungi are also a common food. Insects are consumed in opportunistic fashion. The Mexican Fox Squirrel occasionally scatterhoards large storable seeds in the soil.
Breeding. The Mexican Fox Squirrel most often produces single litters of 1-2 young in late spring or summer,after a one day estrus in spring or early summer, during which as many as seven males pursue females. Males possess scrotal testes in winter through summer. Cavities in large-diameter, soft-wooded trees are favored by nursing females.
Activity patterns. Mexican Fox Squirrels are diurnal and active throughout the year, with an early morning and late afternoon peak in activity in summer and unimodal pattern of activity in winter.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Mexican Fox Squirrel constructs round dreys from pine needles, leaves, and twigs. Individuals generally live and forage alone, only occasionally interacting with others at concentrated food sources; however, communal nests are known to occur during winter. Foraging occurs in all canopy levels, with significant time spent on the ground. Males travel greater distances than females that result in home ranges of males that average 35 ha, much larger than those of females that average 15 ha. Males maximize home range overlap with females, especially during breeding. The Mexican Fox Squirrel is silent compared with most tree squirrels and seeks cover and remains motionless unless startled when it barks or chucks from elevated locations in the canopy.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Mexican Fox Squirrel is unknown. A lack of information on ecology, natural history, or threats likely impedes conservation and management efforts in Mexico; it might be vulnerable to deforestation and changing fire regimes. Local people hunt this large-bodied squirrel for meat and sport. It appearsto thrive in open forests maintained by frequent fire.
Bibliography. Best (1995a), Brown (1984), Doumas & Koprowski (2013a, 2013b), Hoffmeister (1986), Kneeland et al. (1995), Koprowski & Corse (2001, 2005), Pasch & Koprowski (2006a, 2006b), Thorington et al. (2012), Yensen & Valdés-Alarcon (1999).
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.
