212 Epixerus ebiicies’ reputation of being rare. However, the animal is well
known and easily found by local people, who hunt this spe-
cies with nets. Home ranges of adult males average 21.6 ha (n
= 2), and a subadult female ranged over 13.9 ha (n = 1). The
African palm squirrel nests in tree hollows with narrow en-
trances. They depart their dens at dawn and return in the
afternoon, after only a few hours of activity. They maintain
vigilance while feeding, often perching 0.5–1.5 m above the
ground to enhance predator surveillance. The squirrels for-
age on the ground, eating select insects and fallen seeds and
fruits. In Gabon they particularly favor thickly shelled nuts,
such as panda nuts (Panda oleosa). The animals are unique in
their ability to open these nuts: they either split the shells of
old nuts or cut through the tough exterior shell of young nuts.
Scattered larders (middens) of panda shells under low perches
can be used to identify feeding sites of this species. In addi-
tion, African palm squirrels greatly facilitate the dispersion of
panda nuts by hoarding seeds and burying them at distances
of 20 m or more away from the parent tree. When alarmed,
individuals climb to a low horizontal or vertical perch and
scan for predators, their bushy tails hanging down. An ani-
mal will emit a series of staccato calls, either by quietly “chat-
tering” their incisor teeth if mildly alarmed or announcing
broad-frequency pulses if highly alarmed. The fecundity of
this species has been poorly studied, and the only litter re-
ported included two off spring in a nest. Females have been
observed to have between eight and ten pairs of nipples.general references: Du Chaillu 1860; Emmons 1975,
1978, 1980; Grubb et al. 1998; Hoke et al. 2007; H. L. Kuhn
1964.Epixerus ebii. Photo courtesy Julie Dewilde, Wildlife Conserva-
tion Society.
Funisciurus Trouessart, 1880
The 10 species of rope squirrels are inhabitants of the Afri-
can forests, living at low to medium tree heights. Most are
distinguished by lateral stripes. These species feed on a va-
riety of foods, mostly consisting of vegetable matter, but
they will eat insects when available.Funisciurus anerythrus (Thomas, 1890)
Thomas’s Rope Squirrel
description: Thomas’s rope squirrel is a medium-sized
animal characterized by its long nose and by a bilateral pale
stripe that runs from the shoulder to the hip. The head and
dorsal pelage are brown with beige highlights and banded
hairs, while the ventral coat ranges in color from white to
gray to orange. The legs are a light caramel color and are
tipped by well-developed claws. The relatively short tail is
primarily red and is banded black to white toward the tip,
but it appears dark with a white end when viewed from
above. When at rest, F. anerythrus curls its tail vertically
against its back. When moving, the squirrel keeps its tail up,
but with the tip curling backward. Thomas’s rope squirrel
has small ears, and its eyes are framed above and below by
beige-colored stripes.size: Female—HB 172.0 mm (n = 2); T 167.5 mm (n = 2).
Male—HB 176.7 mm (n = 3); T 166.3 mm (n = 3).
Sex not stated—HB 192.3 mm (n = 3); T 192.3 mm (n = 3);
Mass 217.8 g (n = 18).distribution: Endemic to Africa, this species is found from
southern Benin to southern Nigeria and parts of Cameroon,
Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, extreme southern Chad,
the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, western Uganda, and the tiny northern tip of Angola.geographic variation: Four subspecies are recognized.F. a. anerythrus—western Uganda south through the Demo-
cratic Republic of the Congo to Mount Kabobo and west