Mexican gray squirrel explained

The Mexican gray squirrel (or red-bellied squirrel) (Sciurus aureogaster) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to Guatemala and eastern and southern Mexico. It has been introduced to the Florida Keys.^[1]

The alternate name should not be confused with the Indonesian red-bellied squirrel (Rubrisciurus rubriventer) or the Asian red-bellied tree squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus).

Behaviour

Since the introduction of the species to Florida in the late 1930s, its nesting locations have become more irregular, nesting in varying species of trees and even choosing to nest in hurricane debris.^{[2] [3]}

Ecology

Sciurus aureogaster has had an extremely negative impact on Thrinax radiata populations on Elliot Key. It uses palm fibers as nesting materials and consumes the palm itself, often killing the plant.^[4]

Subspecies

The two subspecies each have many synonyms associated with them:

• The subspecies S. a. aureogaster was also known as S. a. chrysogaster, S. a. ferruginiventris, S. a. hypopyrrhus, S. a. hypoxanthus, S. a. leucogaster, S. a. maurus, S. a. morio, S. a. mustelinus, S. a. raviventer and S. a. rufiventris.
• The subspecies S. a. nigrescens was also known as S. a. affinis, S. a. albipes, S. a. cervicalis, S. a. chiapensis, S. a. cocos, S. a. colimensis, S. a. effugius, S. a. frumentor, S. a. griseoflavus, S. a. hernandezi, S. a. hirtus, S. a. leucops, S. a. littoralis, S. a. nelsoni, S. a. nemoralis, S. a. perigrinator, S. a. poliopus, S. a. quercinus, S. a. rufipes, S. a. senex, S. a. socialis, S. a. tepicanus, S. a. varius and S. a. wagneri.

External links

• Photos of Mexican Gray squirrels in Parque de Los Berros — park in Xalapa, Veracruz state, Mexico.

Notes and References

1. Long, J. L. (2003). Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
2. Ramos-Lara . Nicolás . Cervantes . Fernando A . September 2011 . Ecology of the Mexican red-bellied squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) in Michoacán, Mexico. . The Southwestern Naturalist . 56. 3 . 400–403 . 10.1894/N02-RTS-11.1 . 85571853 . 13 November 2022.
3. Palmer . Geoffrey H . Koprowski . John L. Pernas . Anthony J . 16 December 2013 . Nest tree and site selection of an introduced population of red-bellied squirrels (Sciurus aureogaster) . . 94. 6 . 1274–1281 . 10.1644/12-MAMM-A-308.1 . free .
4. Tilmant . James T. . September 1980 . Investigations of Rodent Damage to the Thatch Palms Thrinax morrisii and Thrinax radiata on Elliott Key, Biscayne National Park, Florida. Everglades National Park, South Florida Research Center . National Park Service . M-589 .