Prevost's squirrel

Prevost's squirrel
Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevosti)
Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevosti)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Rodentia
Family:Sciuridae
Subfamily:Callosciurinae
Tribe:Callosciurini
Genus:Callosciurus
Species: C. prevostii
Binomial name
Callosciurus prevostii
(Desmarest, 1822)
Subspecies[2]
  • Callosciurus prevostii prevostii
  • Callosciurus prevostii rafflesii
  • Callosciurus prevostii melanops
  • Callosciurus prevostii piceus
  • Callosciurus prevostii atricapillus
  • Callosciurus prevostii sarawakensis
Distribution in red

Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-colored squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, buds, flowers, insects and bird eggs. It has been observed feeding on durians such as Durio graveolens.[3] These squirrels carry the fruits far from the tree and drop the seeds when finished with their meal. This seed distribution away from the parent plant increases survival for the fruiting plant species.[4]

The "typical" subspecies (for example C. p. prevostii from the Thai-Malay Peninsula) of Prevost's squirrel are among the most colourful mammals in the world with their black upperparts and tail, reddish-orange underparts, and whitish thighs and flanks. The markings in some subspecies are duller, and C. prevostii pluto from northeastern Borneo is reddish-orange below and black above (no whitish thighs or flanks).[5]

References

  1. ↑ Duckworth, J. W. & Hedges, S. (2008). "Callosciurus prevostii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  2. ↑ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. (2005). "Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference". Mammal Species of the World - Search (Third ed.). Bucknell Univesity. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Nakashima, Yoshihiro; Lagan, Peter; Kitayama, Kanehiro (March 2008). "A Study of Fruit–Frugivore Interactions in Two Species of Durian (Durio, Bombacaceae) in Sabah, Malaysia". Biotropica. 40 (2): 255–258. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2007.00335.x. ISSN 1744-7429. OCLC 5155811169.
  4. ↑ Lurz, P. W.W., I. Fielding, and V. Hayssen. 2017. Callosciurus prevostii (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Mammalian Species, 49(945):40–50
  5. ↑ Payne, J., and C. M. Francis (1985), A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. ISBN 967-99947-1-6
  • Thorington, R. W. Jr. and R. S. Hoffman. 2005. Family Sciuridae. Pp. 754–818 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  • Prevost's Squirrel at Animal Diversity Web


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