Horse-tailed squirrel

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The horse-tailed squirrel (Sundasciurus hippurus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found throughout the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, as well as the southern half of the Malay Peninsula, which includes the entire nations of Brunei and Malaysia, as well as some areas of Indonesia and Thailand. There was a mention of this squirrel being found in Vietnam in 1831 (I. Geoffroy, 1831), but subsequent descriptions of this squirrel's range have not included that nation.[2]

Horse-tailed squirrel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sundasciurus
Species:
S. hippurus
Binomial name
Sundasciurus hippurus
(I. Geoffroy, 1831)
Subspecies[2]
  • S. h. hippurus
  • S. h. borneensis
  • S. h. pryeri
  • S. h. hippurosus
  • S. h. ornatus

Description

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The horse-tailed squirrel is the most colorful and largest of the Sundasciurus tree squirrels. It is a medium-sized squirrel with a head-to-body length of 21.5 to 25 cm (8.5 to 9.8 in) and a tail length of 24 to 29 cm (9.4 to 11.4 in). The horse-tailed squirrel has a grizzled grey head, shoulders, forefeet and body with a whitish, dull orange, or red-brown underbelly. The tail of this squirrel is commonly a glossy black or grey banded with black.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Meijaard, E. (2017). "Sundasciurus hippurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T21155A22250415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T21155A22250415.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae: Sundasciurus (Aletesciurus) hippurus". 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. ^ Payne, J, C.M. Francis, K Phillips. 1985. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Society.