Swinhoe's striped squirrel

Swinhoe's striped squirrel is a small species of rodent in the family Sciuridae known scientifically as Tamiops swinhoei.[3] This species is found mostly in China and Southeast Asia. Their diet consists of mostly seeds, fruits, nuts and ginger nectar. Like most squirrels they live in forest areas with mountains, usually in groups. They have litters that average in size of 3.25 offspring.[4]

Swinhoe's striped squirrel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Tamiops
Species:
T. swinhoei
Binomial name
Tamiops swinhoei
Subspecies[2]
  • T. s. swinhoei
  • T. s. olivaceus
  • T. s. spencei
  • T. s. vestitus

Physical features

They are small bodied with stripes running from their nose to their neck and a second set that run the length of their body to their tail. The stripes range in color from yellow to brown cinnamon. Small tufts of white fur can be seen on the tips of their ears. They have dense fur to accommodate for the high elevation where they live. Females have a longer tail than males.[4]

Reproduction

Swinhoe's striped squirrels usually breed once every six months. On average they can have 3-6 offspring in a litter.[4]

Diet

Swinhoe's striped squirrel are herbivores. They eat mostly nuts, seeds, fruits, and ginger nectar. They collect their food and store it for later dates when food is scarce.[5]

Ecosystem contributions

Consuming seeds and nuts is helpful to disperse seeds and nuts in order for more to grow. This species of squirrel also helps humans survive by being a source of food.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Swinhoe's striped squirrel is found mostly in Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Hainan Island, and possibly Laos.[4] They live in tropical rain forest, where there are many mountains, in mostly couples and groups.[5]

References
  1. Duckworth, J. W. & Lunde, D. (2008). "Tamiops swinhoei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 26158608.
  3. "Tamiops swinhoei - Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel | eMammal". emammal.si.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  4. Minton, Janet. "Tamiops swinhoei (Swinhoe's striped squirrel)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  5. "Animalsort - Swinhoe's striped squirrel". www.animalsort.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.


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