Squirrels of the world

468 Pages·2012·43.384 MB·English

by  Richard W. Thorington

squirrels of the world

Squirrels of the World
Richard W. Thorington, Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele,
and James F. Whatton
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS BALTIMORE
This book was brought to publication through the generous contri- Title Page Illustrations: (left to right) Tamiops mcclellandii,
butions of the Smithso nian Institution, Wilkes University, and the photo courtesy Nick Baker, www.ecologyasia.com; Sciurus
University of Arizona. granatensis, photo courtesy Caroline M. Thorington;
Marmota caligata, photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
© 2012 The Johns Hopkins University Press Sciurus niger cinereus, photo courtesy Cynthia C. Winter.
All rights reserved. Published 2012
Printed in China on acid-free paper
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363
www.press.jhu.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Squirrels of the world / by Richard W. Thorington, Jr. . . . [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-1-4214-0469-1 (hdbk. : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 1-4214-0469-9 (hdbk. : alk. paper)
1. Sciuridae. I. Thorington, Richard W.
ql737.r68s68 2012
599.36—dc23 2011030931
A catalog record for this book is available from the British
Library.
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more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or
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The Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly
book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of
at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible.
contents
Preface vii Petinomys 123 Callospermophilus 255
Abbreviations vii Pteromys 128 Cynomys 260
Pteromyscus 131 Ictidomys 268
Taxonomic Introduction 1 Trogopterus 132 Marmota 271
Paleontology 4 Callosciurinae 134 Notocitellus 290
Anatomy 7 Callosciurus 134 Otospermophilus 292
Ecology, Behavior, and Dremomys 153 Poliocitellus 296
Conservation 11 Exilisciurus 158 Sciurotamias 298
Funambulus 161 Spermophilus 300
SPECIES ACCOUNTS Glyphotes 166 Tamias 315
Ratufi nae 23 Hyosciurus 167 Urocitellus 349
Ratufa 23 Lariscus 169 Xerospermophilus 366
Sciurillinae 30 Menetes 172
Sciurillus 30 Nannosciurus 174 Appendix. Representative Skulls
Sciurinae 32 Prosciurillus 175 of Each Squirrel Genus 373
Sciurini 32 Rhinosciurus 180 References 403
Microsciurus 32 Rubrisciurus 181 Index 441
Rheithrosciurus 36 Sundasciurus 182
Sciurus 37 Tamiops 195
Syntheosciurus 77 Xerinae 200
Tamiasciurus 78 Xerini 200
Pteromyini 85 Atlantoxerus 200
Aeretes 85 Spermophilopsis 202
Aeromys 86 Xerus 203
Belomys 88 Protoxerini 211
Biswamoyopterus 89 Epixerus 211
Eoglaucomys 90 Funisciurus 212
Eupetaurus 91 Heliosciurus 223
Glaucomys 92 Myosciurus 232
Hylopetes 98 Paraxerus 233
Iomys 106 Protoxerus 246
Petaurillus 108 Marmotini 250
Petaurista 110 Ammospermophilus 250
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preface
Our objective in writing Squirrels of the World is to provide a within the text. However, at the end of each species account
book that exhibits the great diversity of squirrels, describes we supply a reference section, giving a brief citation for the
some of their biology, and is illustrated with photographs and publications we have used, which are subsequently cited
distribution maps for all species. Unfortunately, photographs in full in the bibliographic section at the back of the book.
were not available for all of the squirrel species, despite the The online International Union for Conservation of Nature
eff orts of our many photographic collaborators, who contrib- (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, version 2010.3, provided
uted images of 231 out of the total of 285 species that we rec- information for the conservation status of each species and
ognize in this book. In preparing the maps, we discovered many of the range maps. We include the IUCN online refer-
that many of the published distribution maps are inaccurate. ence for an individual species account in our book only if
Accordingly, we carefully checked the described distribu- we used information from it beyond the conservation status
tions of each species and based the maps on documented re- and the map. This format should allow interested readers
cords of occurrence. Our knowledge of species and distribu- access to the rich literature on squirrels.
tions continues to change, but we have endeavored to provide Normally a mammalian account includes illustrations of
the most accurate assessments available. the skull. Instead of this we provide illustrations of the
Our format is straightforward, starting with the scientifi c skulls of most genera of squirrels in an appendix. We hope
name, followed by the name of the person who described it this will assist in the identifi cation of museum specimens,
and the date of the description, the common name, a brief fi eld discoveries, and fossils.
description of the species, including some measurements,
and its overall distribution. In the section on geographic vari- We are grateful for our assistants who have helped us pre-
ation, we provide the scientifi c names of the subspecies we pare this book, particularly Paula W. Bohaska of the Smith-
recognize, their geographic range, and characteristics used to sonian Institution, Maressa Takahashi of Columbia Univer-
distinguish them. In some species, the subspecies are remark- sity, Jennie Miller of Yale University, Hsiang Ling Chen and
ably distinct from one another. Our goal is that our readers Katharine Derrick of the Conservation Research Laboratory
will be able to identify the species and subspecies of the squir- at the University of Arizona, and Melissa Bugdal of W ilkes
rels that they observe. We then comment on the conserva- University.
tion status, although frequently the abundance of a species is
Abbreviations
poorly known. Finally, we supply a brief description of the
preferred habitat of the species, and a summary of what is HB head and body length measurement
known about its natural history. We hope that the extreme HF hind foot measurement
brevity of natural history information for many species will IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature
serve to stimulate further research. T tail length measurement
This book is a compilation from many sources. In order to TL total length
facilitate reading, we do not include citations to our sources
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squirrels of the world