Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
SCIURIDAE - SQUIRRELS
A single species of arboreal rodent with a long, bushy tail. Head broad with large eyes, pelage smooth. Forefeet with four digits small and flexible, used for manipulating food. Hindfeet elongate with five digits. All digits bar long claws. Cheek teeth with prominent cusps and ridges, molars with a triangular cusp pattern. The incisors are strong and prominent, adapted for gnawing open thick-shelled nuts - the gnawing noise produced can be useful in locating the species. The ankle articulation is flexible and the hindfeet can be rotated to assist in descending tree-trunks head-first. Breed in rounded, grass nests lined with leaves and branches, known as dreys.
Skull: Infraorbital foramen much reduced and not bypassed by muscle.
REFERENCES
Diaz MM & Barquez RM 2002 - Los Mamíferos de Jujuy, Argentina - LOLA
Emmons LH & Feer F 1999 - Mamíferos de los Bosques Húmedos de América Tropical - FAN Bolivia
Redford K 1992 - Mammals of the Neotropics Vol 2: The Southern Cone Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay - University of Chicago Press.
