Funisciurus bayonii 213to the northern tip of Angola. The dorsal pelage is red-
dish brown, and the venter varies from yellow to red.
F. a. bandarum—Central African Republic into extreme
southern Chad. The brown dorsum is tinged with beige
hairs, and the underbelly is light gray to orange.
F. a. mystax—southern Cameroon to Gabon. This form has
a reddish brown dorsum and an orange venter.
F. a. raptorum—Benin and Nigeria. This form has a grayer
back and a whitish belly region.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—no information.
habitat: This squirrel favors habitats near permanent or
seasonal water, including swamps (especially raffi a palm
[Raphia] swamps), gallery forests, river-based islands, and
riversides. One known exception is the Gabon population
of F. a. mystax, which avoids terra fi rma forests, even when
the forest borders water.
natural history: Thomas’s rope squirrel is known to live
in denser populations than any other African tree squirrel,
a tendency complimented by its social nature. Although its
community structure is unknown, this species’ social be-
havior indicates that pairs may form monogamous bonds.
In Gabon, individuals were seen with conspecifi cs 50 per-
cent of the time (n = 431) and moved in pairs 28 percent of
the time, grooming each other and lying on one another.
Groups as large as six individuals have been observed feed-
ing simultaneously in the same fruit tree. One heterosexual
pair in captivity remained in contact while sharing a nesting
box, yet competed aggressively for food. F. anerythrus is diur-
nal, scansorial, and omnivorous. It primarily consumes
fruits and seeds (77% of the dry-mass stomach contents of
individuals in Gabon, n = 15), but it also eats arthropods
(20%), and mushrooms and green plants (3%). Squirrels that
live in raffi a palm (Raphia) swamps feed on the orange peri-
carp surrounding the seeds, often climbing in the crowns of
the palms as they feed and temporarily caching the nuts in
crevices above the ground. Commonly eaten arthropods in-
clude ants (92% occurrence) and termites (58% occurrence),
among others. To locate these food items, the squirrels for-
age along the ground and as high as 13 m (average = 3.8 m).
The animal’s vocalizations are frequent and distinct.
Their low-intensity alarm call is a single “chuck” (45% of 166
call bouts) or a series of one to six rapid “chucks.” As the
squirrel calls, it rhythmically moves its tail vertically and
stamps its feet: fi rst the tail is quickly moved downward and
it stamps its hindfeet, then the tail is slowly raised upward
while it stamps its forefeet. Their high-intensity alarm call
is particularly unique, consisting of two to four periodic
pulses, followed by one to two long low-frequency whistles
(“dada, dada, dadada... dadaweeeeeeou”), with only the fi -
nal whistles audible from a distance. Thomas’s rope squirrel
has been recorded as averaging 1.2 embryos in eastern Zaire
(n = 77 litters) and 1.5 embryos in Gabon (n = 6 litters). Fe-
males have two pairs of nipples. The young are raised in
partially exposed nests situated among the vegetation of
tree branches or the rachises of palm leaves that overhang
the water. Nests are round, 20–24 cm in diameter, and com-
posed of leaves lined with fi bers or raffi a palm (Raphia) leaf-
lets. Individuals of this species have been identifi ed as hosts
for the monkeypox virus.general references: Emmons 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980;
Jezek and Fenner 1988; Linnaeus 1758; Rahm 1970b; Rose-
vear 1969.Funisciurus bayonii (Bocage, 1890)
Lunda Rope Squirreldescription: This medium-sized squirrel has an olive-
tinged dorsal coat spotted with black, and a dull buff - colored
stripe running along its side from the shoulder to the rump.
The ventral pelage is a lighter gray grizzled with tan; and
the tail, which is slightly longer than the body, is subtly
ringed with dark black and gold. The eyes are ringed with
buff. F. bayonii is often confused with the F. congicus, because
both species occupy much of the same range (possibly being