Microsciurus
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Microsciurus alfari |
Microsciurus or dwarf squirrels is a genus of squirrels from the tropical regions of Central and South America.
There are four species:
- Microsciurus alfari (Allen, 1895), the "Central American dwarf squirrel": Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Northern Colombia
- Microsciurus mimulus (Thomas, 1898), the western dwarf squirrel: Ecuador, Colombia, Panama
- Microsciurus flaviventer (Gray, 1867), the Amazon dwarf squirrel: western Amazone basin
- Microsciurus santanderensis (Hernández-Camacho, 1957), the Santander dwarf squirrel: Central Colombia
With a length of 15 cm (head and body) and a 12 cm long tail, dwarf squirrels are not as small as their name suggest: they are hardly smaller than the common red or gray squirrels. The Neotropical Pygmy Squirrel, not in this genus, is much smaller than these species. Microsciurus species have gray or brown backs, and white bellies.
All dwarf squirrels in this genus live in the tropical rain forests. None of them are endangered, although they are rarely seen, because they are shy and lead hidden lives.
[edit] References
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
