Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
CITES Appendix III (Costa Rica). This species is only locally common to areas of undisturbed forest. Conservation of Deppe's squirrel will depend on conservation of its habitat.
Reid (1997)
CITES: appendix iii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Deppe's squirrel is known for the damage it can do to corn crops, but the squirrel is rarely found in highly agricultural areas. The damage it does to corn crops is usually confined to farms or milpas surrounded by undisturbed forest.
Leopold (1959), Best (1995)
There are no specific account of positive benefits for humans, but Deppe's squirrel may assist in the dispersal of tropical plant seeds and spores.
Deppe's squirrel feeds on seeds, fruit, and foliage. Analysis of Deppe's squirrel diets have shown it eats figs, fungi, acorns, berries, and the fruits of trees such as Brosimum alicastrum, Cymbopetalum baillonii, Pinus caribea, Poulsenia armata, and Manilkara zapota. Most of the time it is an arboreal feeder, but it has been seen on the forest floor eating fungi, berries, and acorns.
Deppe's squirrel can do great damage to corn crops, especially when corn crops are situated in clearings of dense tropical forest. Deppe's squirrel eats the corn in a characteristic way, by cutting away a portion of the husk and eating only part of the corn ear beneath. Since Deppe's squirrels are too small to be a good food source, they are mainly killed to prevent crop damage.
Best (1995), Leopold (1950), Reid (1997), Estrada and Coates-Estrada (1985)
Tamaulipas, Mexico through most of the Yucatan Peninsula and to northwest Costa Rica. It is usually found at elevations between 300 and 3000 meters.
Reid (1997), Leopold (1959), Best (1995)
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Deppe's squirrel is locally common in areas of dense forest vegetation and high humidity. It is found in all kinds of tropical forest, including oak forest, pine-oak forest, cloud forest, ebony forest, and lowland forest. It disappears from areas that are highly disturbed by agriculture.
Reid (1997), Best (1995), Leopold (1959)
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
Head and body length: 181-225 mm
Tail length: 155-197 mm
Hind footh length: 46-55 mm
Ear length: 21-30 mm
Sciurus deppei (Deppe's squirrel) is a small squirrel. Its upperparts are brown, ranging from dark olive brown to reddish brown. Its underparts are paler, usually white or a pale shade of grey. The ears are medium-sized and without long tufts. The tail is short, narrow, and usually dark brown with a border of pale-tipped hairs. According to some reports, the forelegs and feet can be a shade of dark grey rather than brown.
Deppe's squirrel can be told from most other squirrels of this region by its small size, short tail, and medium-sized ears. It can be told apart from Sciurus richmondi and Sciurus granatensis by its pale, not orange, underparts.
Best (1995), Reid (1997)
Range mass: 191 to 219 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Deppe's squirrel can breed year-round, but the average number of litters born each year is not known. Typically young are born at the end of the dry season, and the litter size varies between two and eight but is usually four. Males show enlarged testes when they are sexually active.
There is one report that Deppe's squirrel is able to breed with Sciurus yucatanensis, but it is not known whether or not the offspring were fertile.
Best (1995), Reid (1997), Leopold (1959), Gaumer (1917) in Leopold (1959)
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Deppe's squirrel (Sciurus deppei) is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Sciurus deppei varies in individual color.[3] The overall color of the body is gray to yellowish brown or rusty-colored brown, while the face is gray. The legs are dark gray or rust colored. The top of the tail is black with a few white hairs mixed in while the bottom side of the tail is yellowish orange to a rust color, the hairs on the tip of the tail are white.[3] Changes in their fur due to seasons aren't typically seen, except for the white tip on their tail and the patches of hair behind the ears disappear during the summer season.[4]
Size varies a little bit in the Deppe's squirrel with the average female being around 287.3 g, HB 210.2 mm, and T 169.4 mm.[3] The males average is 268.3 g, HB 207.2 mm, and T 176.0 mm.[3] Both sexes are close in size, but the females tend to be slightly larger than the males.
The range of S. deppei overlaps with many other squirrel species.[3][5] This includes areas of Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Chiapas. This area contains the Tikal National Park (in Guatemala) and populations of these squirrels can be seen around the Mayan ruins.[6] Research has been done in this area to see if the impact of humans would affect the population of animals in these high tourists areas and it was found that higher populations of S. deppei were seen around the ruins than in a controlled area.[6] According to IUCN the population of S. deppei is stable.[3][6]
Sciurus deppei is said to be a "habitat generalist."[3] This species tends to favor lowland areas with damp tropical forests with dense vegetation.[3] Due to being found in Mesoamerica and having a very diverse range of climates these squirrels can be found in different habitats.[5] Looking at the skulls of S. deppei it is clear that they would inhabit these areas.[7]
Sciurus deppei is diurnal and is very active during the day.[4] It is arboreal, but spends 30-60% of its foraging time on the ground. When on the ground they are searching for food including seeds, nuts, buds, insects, and fruits.[4] These squirrels are not considered social and stay in very small groups.[4][3] They are relatively quiet unless they have intruders in their area and then their high-pitched call can be heard including flicks of their tails.[4] Since they are so quiet and their color helps them to blend into the tree trunks and hide from humans. When they aren't moving their camouflage is so good they are very hard to spot.
Sciurus deppei can reproduce year round, but is usually seen around the end of the dry season.[3] Their litter size can vary quite a bit from 2-8 young, but usually on average has around 4.[3]
Most Sciurus have 4 pairs of mammae, milk secreting organ on female mammals, but the S. deppei only has 3 functional pairs of mammae.[3] Note that according to the generic key by de Vivo & Carmignotto in 2015, this characteristic would place this taxon in the genus Notosciurus along with the red-tailed squirrel, Andean squirrel, and likely Richmond's squirrel.[8]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Deppe's squirrel (Sciurus deppei) is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
