Some commonly used names for S. variegatoides include ardilla jaspeada, chiza, and ardilla negra. Sciurus comes from the Latin word meaning squirrel and variegatoides signifies the variable coloration of the species.
Variegated squirrels make chucking sounds when alarmed. Harsh chatter is also occasionally heard. Female tree squirrels use chemical cues to show males when they are ready to mate.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
There is no special conservation status for variegated squirrels. This species may be considered "fragile" in some parts of its range in Mexico.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Variegated squirrels are considered crop pests in some areas.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Variegated squirrels are hunted by humans for sport and for meat.
Positive Impacts: food
Sciurus variegatoides serves an important role in seed dispersal via the fruit it consumes. Ectoparasites of variegated squirrels include chiggers and lice. No endoparasites are known.
Ectoparasites of tree squirrels (genus Sciurus) include Acari, Anoplura, Siphonaptera, and Diptera. Endoparasites include Protozoa, Cestodes, and Nematodes.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Sciurus variegatoides consumes nuts and fruits of various kinds, including hard-shelled and soft, thin-shelled seeds of fruits such as Scheelea rostrata, Scheelea zonensis, Crescentia alata, Guazuma ulmifolia, Quercus oleoides, Sterculia apetala, Mangiferea indica, Spondias mombin, Bursera simaruba, Ochroma pyramidale, Cochlospermum vitifolium, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Cecropia, Ficus insipida, Astrcarum standleyanum, Scheelea zonensis, Genipa americana, Apeiba tibourbou, Luehea speciosa, and Trema micrantha. It spends most of its time foraging for soft, juicy fruits. It also eat some vines, flowers, and fungi.
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers
Other Foods: fungus
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore , Granivore )
Variegated squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides) are found in North and Central America, from southern Chiapas, Mexico to Central Panama.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Sciurus variegatoides occupies both dry and wet tropical forests, but prefers open, arid environments. It is found in deciduous, semi-deciduous, and, at times, evergreen forest. It is frequently found in open woodland, scrubland, and plantations. It lives at elevations ranging from sea level to 2500 m.
Range elevation: 0 to 2500 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
For the genus, the longest living Sciurus was 23 years in captivity and 8 to 12 years in the wild.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 12 (high) years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 23 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 15.1 years.
Sciurus variegatoides is a large, long-tailed species of tree squirrel. Its pelage is shiny and bristly. The fourteen different subspecies exhibit a wide range of color and color pattern. Dorsally, the color ranges from blackish to reddish brown to yellowish-gray to white. On the underside, the color ranges from white to cinnamon-buff. The feet and sides of the body are pale gray or yellowish; the ears have a pale patch of fur on the outside. Different subspecies may have a combination of dorsal and lateral stripes and forehead patches or may be completely grizzled in coloration. The guard hairs on the back and sides are agouti, and are made up of several different color bands. The underside is not usually banded. The tail is bushy and long and has black hairs tipped in white on its dorsal side. The underside of the tail is usually lighter in color.
There is little seasonal change in the coat of S. variegatoides. It has no melanistic phase. Molts begin in April or May, and the new pelage is in by September and October. There is considerable variation in time of molt, with individuals in molt occurring every month of the year. An individual may only molt once a year. The darkest subspecies are found in the areas with the greatest rainfall, along the Caribbean coast (S. v. belti, S. v. managuensis, S. v. artrirufus, and S. v. thomasi). Lighter subspecies are found along the Pacific side of Central America (S .v. bangsi, S. v. dorsalis, S. v. goldmani, and S. v. helveolus).
The dental formula for variegated squirrels is I 1/1, C 0/0, P 2/1, M 3/3, total 22. There is no size difference between males and females, although there is considerable variation among individuals of the same subspecies in the same location. Head and body length varies from 220 to 337 mm. Tail length varies from 226 to 325 mm. Length of the hind foot is from 45 to 70 mm. Length of the ear is 20 to 35 mm. Variegated squirrels weigh from 428 to 909 g. Measurements of bacula are as follows: length is 12.1 mm, length of tip is 2.6 mm, height of tip is 3.0 mm, height of base is 3.0 mm, and width of base is 2.4 mm. Measurements of baubella are as follows: length is 3.9 mm and width of disc is 2.0 mm. Females have eight mammae; one pair pectoral, two pair abdominal, and one pair inguinal.
Variegated squirrels are similar to many other tree squirrel species. There are some distinguishing characteristics however. The red-tailed squirrels have an orange tail, are smaller, and occur in denser, wetter forests; Deppe's squirrels have a slender tail, gray underside and feet, and are smaller; Yucatan squirrels are gray and smaller; Mexican gray squirrels lack the prominent pale ear patches.
Range mass: 428 to 909 g.
Range length: 220 to 337 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
The predators of S. variegatoides are generally opportunistic. The following information is in regards to the genus Sciurus: Predators of adult tree squirrels include weasels (Mustela), martens (Martes), wildcats (Felidae), foxes (Canidae), eagles (Accipitridae), owls (Strigiformes), and snakes (Serpentes). These predators may also feed on young, taking them directly from the nest.
Known Predators:
Little is known about the mating system of S. variegatoides, but most tree squirrels (Sciurus) are similar in their mating and reproduction. Tree squirrels are generally solitary, with individuals coming into contact only to mate. Social ranking of tree squirrels is based on weight and age. The higher ranking males will have more mates. A female tree squirrel goes into estrus once a year for the duration of one day. Through olfactory cues and behavioral changes, males know when to mate with her. More than one male may enter the territory of a female in estrus, and males may fight one another in order to mate. After mating, the male and female separate. There are no lasting pair bonds.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
In Panama, breeding occurs annually for S. variegatoides between April and May. Female variegated squirrels build nests high up in the trees and have their babies there. Nest materials include twigs and leaves, and nests are usually waterproof. The average number of young per litter ranges from 2 to 8. Young born to the subspecies S. v. melania have the characteristic dark color of the adult.
In Sciurus, gestation lasts between 33-46 days. When tree squirrels are born, they are blind and naked. Their digits are fused together, and they weigh less than one ounce. After 4 days, babies are vocal, emitting squeaks in response to their mother’s stimuli. After 2 weeks, they begin to develop fur. Between 30 to 32 days babies develop teeth and open their eyes. By 4 weeks, the young are learning to groom themselves, and they leave the nest by 6 weeks. Squirrels begin to socialize at 10 weeks just after they are weaned. They are solitary by 15 weeks. Tree squirrels reach sexual maturity between 12 to 15 weeks.
Breeding interval: Sciurus variegatoides mates once a year.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs for S. variegatoides between April and May.
Range number of offspring: 2 to 8.
Average number of offspring: 6-8.
Range gestation period: 33 to 46 days.
Average weaning age: 10 weeks.
Average time to independence: 15 weeks.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 12 to 15 weeks.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 12 to 15 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Little is known about parental investment in the species S. variegatoides. In most members of the genus Sciurus, the father offers no parental care. The mother builds a nest for her young and they reside there until 6 weeks. The mother will cover her nest with brush, in order to protect her young, while she is scavenging for food. Young tree squirrels are weaned at 10 weeks and are independent of their mother after 15 weeks. The mother is responsible for showing the young how to scavenge for food and groom.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Protecting: Female); extended period of juvenile learning
The variegated squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Fifteen subspecies are recognised.[2] It is a common squirrel and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it a "least-concern species". Variegated squirrels kept as pets in Germany have been implicated in the transmission of a bornavirus to humans from which three people have died.[3]
The variegated squirrel is a medium-sized squirrel; the head-and-body length is about 260 mm (10.2 in) with a tail of much the same length. It weighs about 500 g (18 oz).[4] The several subspecies differ in appearance and there is often a considerable variation between the appearances of individuals in the same population. The dorsal colouration varies between dark brown to yellowish grey. The neck tends to be darker than other parts and there is often a paler patch behind the ears. The underparts are usually some shade of cinnamon. The tail is long and densely bushy; in Mexico it is black, sometimes with white tips to the hairs giving it a frosted appearance. In Nicaragua and Costa Rica, some individuals have pale underparts and tails.[5]
This squirrel is native to Central America, its range extending from Mexico southwards through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Habitats in which it occurs include both dry deciduous forest and evergreen forest, secondary growth, and plantations, and it can become a crop pest. It is mainly a lowland squirrel, ranging up to an altitude of 1,800 m (5,910 ft), or somewhat higher in Costa Rica.[1]
S. v. rigidus in San José, Costa Rica
S. v. atrirufus in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
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S. v. atrirufus in Montezuma, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
S. v. dorsalis rescued from the pet trade, raised in Estacion Biologica, Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua, and returned to the wild
The species is diurnal and seldom descends to the ground; it spends the night in a nest it builds which is sometimes in a hole in a tree but more often is constructed of leaves and built in the fork of a branch close to the trunk. This squirrel is primarily a seed-eater, but also consumes fruits and some animal matter in the form of insects and nestlings. It tends to avoid hard shelled seeds but does consume acorns. Unlike some other squirrels in colder climates, it does not hoard food and therefore plays little part in the dispersal of seeds.[4]
S. variegatoides has a wide range and is a common species. No particular threats have been identified and the population seems steady, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "least concern".[1]
In 2015, a bornavirus now known as "variegated squirrel 1 bornavirus" (VSBV-1) was detected in some variegated squirrels kept as pets in eastern Germany. Three squirrel breeders who lived in this region and associated with each other, died over a two-year period from a progressive encephalitis caused by a novel virus. Research into the causes of their illness and deaths implicated the variegated squirrel as a carrier of the virus, with a genomic study identifying a new virus similar to mammalian 1 bornavirus in the liver, kidney and lung of one squirrel specimen. As a result of their investigations, the researchers concluded that in all three human fatalities, VSBV-1 was the likely causative agent.[6] Further investigation in 2016 found more squirrels in western Germany carrying the disease. It is not clear whether the disease originated in Germany or whether the pathogen was introduced into the country through the importation of already-infected animals.[7]
The variegated squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Fifteen subspecies are recognised. It is a common squirrel and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it a "least-concern species". Variegated squirrels kept as pets in Germany have been implicated in the transmission of a bornavirus to humans from which three people have died.
