The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part one

Either S. philippinensis is super variable while being monotypic (possible) or Philippine zoos have a species identification problem..
Quite. There are a number of dodgily-labelled photos of various animals in the galleries from the Philippine zoos, mostly due to the zoos' labelling although also I think from people just making a guess at what they think the animal is. On Google there are also various exotic (to the Philippines) squirrels labelled as Philippine species. The Squirrels of the World book by Thorington et al mostly has written descriptions for the Philippine species with only a few having photos. So, suffice to say, I have no idea what is what and I really need someone to go to the archipelago and get photos of wild animals from different islands.
 
I let @LaughingDove go, and he broke the Big Year!

That's what happens when you let someone go who knows what they're doing looking for animals! :D (seriously though, maybe you should do one of your big trips in a single calendar year and see how that goes)

I should be able to fill a photo gaps in this thread too. Whitehead's Pygmy Squirrel certainly which is good because they are the best and most amazing squirrel of all time.
 
The final subfamily of Sciuridae is Xerinae, containing about 125 species in twenty-four genera. This subfamily contains the typical ground squirrels (as opposed to the southeast Asian ground squirrels, which are modified Callosciurinae). Many of the species in this subfamily will be familiar to Northern Hemisphere Zoochatters, including as it does the marmots, sousliks, prairie dogs, chipmunks, etc.

In total, sixty-eight species from nineteen genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Xerinae is divided into three Tribes, as follows:


Xerini (African ground squirrels) has six species in three genera: Atlantoxerus, Spermophilopsis, Xerus.

There are four species currently represented in the Zoochat galleries, from two genera: Atlantoxerus and Xerus.


Protoxerini (African tree squirrels) has thirty species in six genera: Epixerus, Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Myosciurus, Paraxerus, Protoxerus.

Only ten species are currently represented in the Zoochat galleries, from three genera: Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Paraxerus.


Marmotini (Holarctic ground squirrels) has about ninety species in fifteen genera: Ammospermophilus, Callospermophilus, Cynomys, Eutamias, Ictidomys, Marmota, Neotamias, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Sciurotamias, Spermophilus, Tamias, Urocitellus, Xerospermophilus. This Tribe has undergone quite a bit of taxonomic change, with the large genus Spermophilus - formerly being considered monophyletic - being broken into several smaller genera.

Fifty-four species from fourteen genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries. The only genus not yet represented is Notocitellus.
 
Last edited:
The Tribe Xerini (African ground squirrels) has six species in three genera: Atlantoxerus, Spermophilopsis, Xerus.

Four species from two genera (Atlantoxerus and Xerus) are currently represented in the Zoochat galleries.
 
Last edited:
Atlantoxerus
One species


Barbary Ground Squirrel Atlantoxerus getulus
Monotypic


Photo by @Sicarius in the wild, Canary Islands

full

Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) - ZooChat
 
Last edited:
Xerus
Four species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Striped Ground Squirrel Xerus erythropus
Five or six subspecies: chadensis, erythropus, lacustris, leucoumbrinus, limitaneus, microdon. A further subspecies, moestus, may be recognised (otherwise synonymised with lacustris), while microdon may be synonymised with leucoumbrinus.


Photo by @lintworm in the wild, Kenya (subspecies microdon - Kingdon's Mammals of Africa notes the suggestion that this subspecies may be synonymous with leucoumbrinus)

full

Striped ground squirrel | ZooChat


Cape Ground Squirrel Xerus inauris
Monotypic


Photo by @Maguari at Prague Zoo, Czech Republic

full

Cape Ground Squirrels at Prague, 25/08/12 | ZooChat


Mountain Ground Squirrel Xerus princeps
Monotypic

There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.


Unstriped Ground Squirrel Xerus rutilus
Eight subspecies: dabagala, dorsalis, intensus, massaicus, rufifrons, rutilus, saturatus, stephanicus


Photo by @lintworm in the wild, Kenya (subspecies dorsalis)

full

Unstriped ground squirrel | ZooChat
 
Spermophilopsis
One species


Long-clawed Ground Squirrel Spermophilopsis leptodactylus
Three subspecies: bactrianus, heptopotamicus, leptodactylus


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
The Tribe Protoxerini (African tree squirrels) has thirty species in six genera: Epixerus, Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Myosciurus, Paraxerus, Protoxerus.

Only ten species from three genera (Funisciurus, Heliosciurus, Paraxerus) are represented in the Zoochat galleries.
 
Last edited:
Epixerus
One species


Ebian's Palm Squirrel Epixerus ebii
Three subspecies: ebii, jonesi, wilsoni. The last-named has also been treated as a full species.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
Funisciurus
Nine species, of which only one species is represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Fire-footed Rope Squirrel Funisciurus pyrropus
Nine subspecies: akka, leonis, leucostigma, mandingo, nigrensis, niveatus, pembertoni, pyrropus, talboti


Photo by @gentle lemur at London Zoo, UK (subspecies leonis)

full

Sierra Leone striped squirrel 1976 | ZooChat


.......................................................................................


None of the remaining eight species in the genus are represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Thomas' Rope Squirrel Funisciurus anerythrus
Four subspecies: anerythrus, bandarum, mystax, raptorum


Lunda Rope Squirrel Funisciurus bayonii
Monotypic


Carruthers' Rope Squirrel Funisciurus carruthersi
Four subspecies: birungensis, carruthersi, chrysippus, tanganyikae


Congo Rope Squirrel Funisciurus congicus
Monotypic


Lady Burton's Rope Squirrel Funisciurus isabella
Two subspecies: dubosti, isabella


Ribboned Rope Squirrel Funisciurus lemniscatus
Two subspecies: lemniscatus, mayumbicus


Red-cheeked Rope Squirrel Funisciurus leucogenys
Three subspecies: auriculatus, leucogenys, oliviae


Kintampo Rope Squirrel Funisciurus substriatus
Monotypic
 
Heliosciurus
Six species, four of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Gambian Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus gambianus
Sixteen subspecies (although note that Kingdon's Mammals of Africa considers the species to be monotypic despite its wide distribution and considerable variation in colour): abassensis, bongensis, canaster, dysoni, elegans, gambianus, hoogstraali, kaffensis, lateris, limbatus, loandicus, madogae, multicolor, omensis, rhodesiae, senescens


Photo by @gentle lemur in the wild, Ghana (subspecies gambianus)

full

Gambian sun squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Ethiopia (subspecies multicolor)

full

Gambian sun squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus) - ZooChat


Red-legged Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus rufobrachium

Twenty-two subspecies: arrhenii, aubryi, benga, brauni, caurinus, coenosus, emissus, hardyi, isabellinus, keniae, leakyi, leonensis, lualabae, maculatus, medjianus, nyansae, obfuscatus, occidentalis, pasha, rubricatus, rufobrachium, semlikii


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Uganda (subspecies nyansae)

full

Red-footed Sun Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at Cologne Zoo, Germany (unknown subspecies)

full

Red-legged Sun Squirrel at Cologne, 07/09/10 | ZooChat


Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus ruwenzorii
Four subspecies: ituriensis, ruwenzorii, schoutedeni, vulcanius


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Uganda (subspecies schoutedeni)

full

Ruwenzori sun squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii) - ZooChat


Zanj Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus undulatus
Monotypic


Photo by @Azubaa in the wild, Zanzibar (Tanzania)

full

Zanj Sun Squirrel - ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Kenya

full

Zanj sun squirrel (Heliosciurus undulatus) - ZooChat


.......................................................................................


The remaining two species in the genus are not currently represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Mutable Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus mutabilis
Five subspecies recognised, although it is usually also noted that these are uncertainly valid due to the wide colour variations in the species and it may be better treated as being monotypic: beirae, chirindensis, mutabilis, shirensis, vumbae


Small Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus punctatus
Two subspecies: punctatus, savannius
 
Last edited:
Myosciurus
One species


African Pigmy Squirrel Myosciurus pumilio
Monotypic


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.
 
Paraxerus
Eleven species, of which five species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Taxonomic note: this genus was formerly combined with Funisciurus (rope squirrels).



Alexander's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus alexandri
Monotypic


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Uganda

full

Alexander's bush squirrel (Paraxerus alexandri) - ZooChat


Boehm's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus boehmi
Four subspecies: antoniae, boehmi, emini, gazellae


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Uganda

full

Boehm's bush squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi) - ZooChat


Smith's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus cepapi
Ten subspecies are listed in Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World: bororensis, carpi, cepapi, cepapoides, chobiensis, phalaena, quotus, sindi, soccatus, yulei. Kingdon's Mammals of Africa lists nine subspecies (absent soccatus, which was treated as a synonym of yulei). Various other subspecies have also been listed elsewhere, such as kalaharicus and maunensis.


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Zimbabwe (subspecies cepapi)

full

Smiths Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari in the wild, Botswana (subspecies chobiensis [the photo is labelled as maunensis which here I treat as a synonym])

full

Smith's Bush Squirrel, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, 30/04/16 | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Zambia (subspecies yulei I think)

full

Smith's Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) - ZooChat


Ochre Bush Squirrel Paraxerus ochraceus
Eight subspecies: affinis, animosus, aruscensis, electus, ganana, jacksoni, kahari, ochraceus


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Tanzania (subspecies aruscensis)

full

Ochre Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Kenya (subspecies jacksoni)

full

Ochre Bush Squirrel | ZooChat


Red Bush Squirrel Paraxerus palliatus
Seven subspecies: bridgemani, frerei, ornatus, palliatus, sponsus, swynnertoni, tanae


Photo by @vogelcommando in the wild, Zanzibar (subspecies frerei)

full

Red bush squirrel subspecies frerei - ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland at EndoFaun Zoo (South Africa) (unknown subspecies, but likely to be ornatus which is the one found in South Africa)

full

red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Kenya (subspecies tanae)

full

red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) - ZooChat


.......................................................................................


None of the remaining six species in the genus are represented in the Zoochat galleries:


Cooper's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus cooperi
Monotypic


Striped Bush Squirrel Paraxerus flavovittis
Four subspecies: exgeanus, flavovittis, ibeanus, mossambicus


Black and Red Bush Squirrel Paraxerus lucifer
Monotypic


Green Bush Squirrel Paraxerus poensis
Monotypic


Swynnerton's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus vexillarius
Two subspecies: byatti, vexillarius


Vincent's Bush Squirrel Paraxerus vincenti
Monotypic
 
Last edited:
Protoxerus
Two species, neither of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Slender-tailed Squirrel Protoxerus aubinnii
Two subspecies: aubinnii, salae


Stanger's or African Giant Squirrel Protoxerus stangeri
Twelve subspecies: bea, centricola, cooperi, eborivorus, kabobo, kwango, loandae, nigeriae, personatus, signatus, stangeri, temminckii
 
The Tribe Marmotini (Holarctic ground squirrels) has about ninety species in fifteen genera: Ammospermophilus, Callospermophilus, Cynomys, Eutamias, Ictidomys, Marmota, Neotamias, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Sciurotamias, Spermophilus, Tamias, Urocitellus, Xerospermophilus.

Several of these genera were formerly - and may still be, by various authors - combined, e.g. Eutamias and Neotamias were formerly treated as subgenera of Tamias; and Callospermophilus, Ictidomys, Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, Urocitellus and Xerospermophilus were formerly treated as subgenera of Spermophilus. I have separated all these genera below as this is widely accepted now, but if they were to be combined then the Tribe would contain only six genera rather than fifteen. However, genetic studies show that the genera Ammospermophilus (antelope squirrels), Cynomys (prairie dogs) and Marmota (marmots) all nest within Spermophilus (sensu lato) so it cannot be retained as a single genus.

Sometimes the chipmunks (Eutamias, Neotamias, Tamias) and Asian rock squirrels (Sciurotamias) are separated into their own Tribe, Tamiini, although this is not widely followed.

There are fifty-four species from fourteen genera currently depicted in the Zoochat galleries. The only genus not yet represented is Notocitellus.
 
Last edited:
Ammospermophilus
Four species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Harris' Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus harrisii
Two subspecies: harrisii, saxicolus
[Note that in Squirrels of the World by Thorington et al the distributions of the two subspecies have been reversed]


Photo by @Ituri in the wild, Arizona (USA) (subspecies harrisii)

full

Harris Antelope Squirrel (wild) | ZooChat


Texas Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus interpres
Monotypic


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.


White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus
Ten subspecies: canfieldiae, cinnamomeus, escalante, extimus, insularis, leucurus, notom, peninsulae, pennipes, tersus

Taxonomic note: the subspecies insularis (the Espiritu Santo Antelope Squirrel) was formerly treated as a full species.


Photo by @Arizona Docent in the wild, Arizona (USA) (subspecies cinnamomeus)

full

White Tailed Antelope Squirrel | ZooChat


Photo by @Ituri in the wild, Idaho (USA) (subspecies leucurus)

full

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel | ZooChat


San Joaquin or Nelson's Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus nelsoni
Monotypic


Photo by @ThylacineAlive at the California Living Museum (USA)

full

San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel - ZooChat
 
Last edited:
Back
Top