Funisciurus pyrropus 221embryo in December. Red-cheeked rope squirrels are snared
regularly on Bioko Island by local hunters.
general references: Angelici and Luiselli 2005; Fa 2000;
Grubb 2001; Rosevear 1969.
Funisciurus pyrropus (F. Cuvier, 1833)
Fire-Footed Rope Squirrel
description: This medium-sized squirrel is easily distin-
guished by its brilliant red limbs and face and white lateral
stripes. It has a characteristic long nose and long narrow
feet. The dorsal pelage is grizzled gray or black with hairs
ringed black toward a buff tip, and its ventral pelage is pure
white or ivory. The face is red below the crown and features
pale hairs around the eyes and behind the ears. The long
bushy tail is grizzled black and white with red highlights;
the hairs are banded black at the base, red toward the mid-
dle, and white at the tip. When at rest, the squirrel curls its
tail over its back; while moving, it holds the base of the tail
vertically, with the tip curled backward or parallel to the
ground behind its body.
size: Female—HB 191.6 mm (n = 22); T 150.9 mm (n = 17);
Mass 240.3 g (n = 7).
Male—HB 193.1 mm (n = 28); T 145.3 mm (n = 1); Mass
225.0 g (n = 33).
Sex not stated—HB 204.4 mm (n = 14); T 150.0 mm (n = 11);
Mass 265.6 g (n = 6).distribution: F. pyrropus is endemic to West Africa and is
found in four disjunct distributions: (1) from southern Sen-
egal southward through Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea,
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and western Ghana; (2)
southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, southern Central African
Republic, Equatorial Guinea, western Republic of the Congo,
northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon;
(3) northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through
western Uganda and Rwanda and possibly Burundi; and (4)
western Democratic Republic of the Congo to northern
Angola.geographic variation: Nine subspecies are currently
recognized.F. p. pyrropus—Gabon. See description above.
F. p. akka—eastern Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This
subspecies lacks any red on the face, and the limbs and
muzzle are tinged with orange.
F. p. leonis—Liberia. It has a deep rufous coloration, with red
lateral regions.
F. p. leucostigma—southern Ghana. This form has a duller
sienna red shading and red lines below the lateral stripes;
it lacks any red on the crown.
F. p. mandingo—Gambia. The back is tan and black, and the
limbs and ears are orange.Funisciurus pyrropus. Photo courtesy Robert Barnes.