Fire-footed rope squirrel
Species of rodent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.
| Fire-footed rope squirrel | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Funisciurus |
| Species: | F. pyrropus |
| Binomial name | |
| Funisciurus pyrropus (F. Cuvier, 1833) | |
| Subspecies[2][3] | |
| |
 | |
| Geographic range | |
Description
It is a relatively small rodent with an adult averaging at a height of 8.1 inches (204.81 mm). Adults weigh between 225 and 240 grams (7.9 and 8.5 oz).
Habitat
Diet
They are primarily herbivores. Their main diet consists of fruit and seeds. When food is scarce, they resort to eating small termites and ants.
Mating
Several male squirrels chase a single female squirrel in a ritualistic chase. They bear litters of one to two pups.
Zoonotic risk
It is recognized as a potential zoonotic reservoir for the monkeypox virus (MPXV; Orthopoxvirus monkeypox)[4]
