Abert's squirrel

Abert's squirrel[1]

Secure  (NatureServe)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sciurus
Subgenus: Otosciurus
Nelson, 1899
Species:
S. aberti
Binomial name
Sciurus aberti
Woodhouse, 1853
Subspecies
  • S. a. aberti
  • S. a. barberi
  • S. a. chuscensis
  • S. a. durangi
  • S. a. ferreus
  • S. a. kaibabensis
  • S. a. mimus
  • S. a. navajo
  • S. a. phaeurus
Range of Abert's squirrel

Abert's squirrel or the tassel-eared squirrel (Sciurus aberti) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the southern Rocky Mountains from the United States to the northern Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico, with concentrations found in Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. It is closely associated with, and largely confined to, mature ponderosa pine forests. It is named in honor of the American naturalist John James Abert; nine subspecies are recognised. It is recognizable by its tufted ears, gray color, pale underparts and rufous patch on the lower back. The squirrel feeds on the seeds and cones of the Mexican pinyon and the ponderosa pine when they are available, but will also take fungi, buds, bark, and carrion. Breeding normally occurs in summer, with a spherical nest being built high in the canopy.

  1. ^ Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Sciurus (Otosciurus) aberti". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). 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.
  2. ^ Cassola, F. (2017). "Sciurus aberti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T42461A22245623. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T42461A22245623.en. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Sciurus aberti". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 17 April 2024.