Mexican fox squirrel

Sciurus nayaritensis

Summary 7

The Mexican fox squirrel, scientific name Sciurus nayaritensis, is a species of tree squirrel found throughout the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico as far south as Jalisco — and northward into the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, U.S.

Description 8

Mexican Fox Squirrels are large but secretive, and though they spend much of their time on the ground, can be difficult to find at any season. They do not store food or bury nuts. They vocalize—with raspy alarm calls, sometimes followed by a screech—only when safely established in a tree, but they are not as adept at climbing as other tree squirrels. The young frequently fall out of trees, and even adults are clumsy, sometimes slipping when they are scurrying up or down trunks or along branches. When they sense danger, their usual behavior is to freeze. Females usually have one litter of 2-3 young each year; the development of the young has not been documented.

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Dan Hutcheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/84826593@N00/243667714
  2. (c) Amelia Ryan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Amelia Ryan
  3. (c) Renee Regan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=mammals&irn=10374071
  4. (c) Renee Regan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=mammals&irn=10374072
  5. (c) Renee Regan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=mammals&irn=10374073
  6. (c) Renee Regan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=mammals&irn=10374074
  7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciurus_nayaritensis
  8. (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625493

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