Squirrels of the World

Exilisciurus exilis 159

geographic variation: None.

conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.

habitat: This species inhabits dense lowland and mon-
tane primary and secondary forests at middle elevations
(from at least 700 to 6400 m). It also survives well in second-
ary habitats, such as small clearings where trees have been
felled.

natural history: Philippine pygmy squirrels are active
from the early morning throughout the daylight hours.
They have been observed in the low to midlevels of forests:
on the trunks of large forest trees and the undersides of tree
branches, in tree holes, and around stumps in forests with
some human logging. They repeatedly produce brief high-
pitched “chirping” vocalizations. When startled, they often
run headfi rst down tree trunks and hide among the root
buttresses.

general references: Heaney 1985; Rabor 1986; Rickart
et al. 1993.

Exilisciurus exilis (Müller, 1838)

Least Pygmy Squirrel

description: This is the smallest species of Exilisciurus.
The dorsal pelage is an olive brown with rusty highlights,
and the ventral pelage is pinkish buff. The eyes are encircled

by narrow bands of darkly pigmented skin. The tail is thick

but less bushy than in the other Exilisciurus species, and the

ventral surface is redder than the dorsal surface.

size: Female—HB 73.0 mm (n = 10); T 51.3 mm (n = 10); Mass

16.5 g (n = 5).

Male—HB 71.7 mm (n = 33); T 40.0 mm (n = 22); Mass 17.0 g

(n = 3).

Sex not stated—HB 73.0 mm (n = 10); T 51.3 mm (n = 10);

Mass 16.5 g (n = 5).

Exilisciurus concinnus. Photo courtesy Danilo S. Balete.