Heliosciurus rufobrachium — Details

Red-legged Sun Squirrel learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Distribution

Range Description

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This widespread Subsaharan species is distributed from Senegal and the Gambia In West Africa, eastwards through Sierra Leone and Liberia to southern Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and from here into southern Cameroon and southern Central African Republic, to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania in East Africa. Not yet recorded from south of the Congo River. It is also present on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea).
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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

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Habitat and Ecology
This species is found in tropical moist forest, but it is not limited to this habitat, and can be found within savanna formations and drier gallery forest. In Sierra Leone, the species was apparently recorded in Avicennia mangrove swamps (Rosevear 1969; Grubb et al. 1998). The species is also recorded from agricultural lands, especially cocoa plantations and oil palm plantations (kernels of oil palm fruits are a favoured food). The species is apparently usually found nesting in taller trees using holes in the trunk or larger branches (Rosevear 1969). It breeds twice a year with a litter size of two young.

Systems
  • Terrestrial
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Life History and Behavior

Life Expectancy

Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 8.7 years (captivity)
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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

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Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2008

Assessor/s
Grubb, P. & Ekué, M.R.M.

Reviewer/s
Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, it occurs in a number of protected areas, has a tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

History
  • 2004
    Least Concern
  • 1996
    Lower Risk/least concern
    (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
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Population

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Population
It is likely to be common, but little is known about the species abundance.

Population Trend
Unknown
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Threats

Threats

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Major Threats
There are no major threats to this species as a whole.
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Management

Conservation Actions

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Conservation Actions
It is known to occur in several protected areas throughout the range.
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Wikipedia

Red-legged Sun Squirrel

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The Red-legged Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium) is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna.

References

  1. ^ Grubb, P. & Ekué, M. R. M. (2008). Heliosciurus rufobrachium. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 6 January 2009.
  2. ^ Thorington, R.W., Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 26158608. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=12400001. 
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