Squirrels of the World

Funisciurus isabella 217

Funisciurus duchaillui Sanborn, 1953

Du Chaillu’s Rope Squirrel

description: This squirrel is gray along the limbs, feet,
ventral side, and fl anks, with the gray hair having white
tips. The dorsal side and head are olive brown. Four dark
brown dorsal stripes go from the base of the head to the tail;
the hairs are annulated with greenish yellow, and their tips
are black. The three stripes between the darker dorsal
stripes are brownish yellow, and the tail is a bright red color
with a black tip. The presence of gray pelage on the fl anks
and legs of F. duchaillui, and its larger size, distinguished this
species from F. isabella.

size: Female—Mass 205 g ± 21 g (n = 2).
Male—Mass 195 g ± 21 g (n = 2).
Sex not stated—HB 197 mm ± 1.3 mm (n = 4); T 210 mm ±
20 mm (n = 3); HF 45.0 mm ± 5.7 mm (n = 4).

distribution: This squirrel is found between the Ogooué
River and the Ngounie River in central and south Gabon,
and possibly in the Lékoumou region of southern Republic
of the Congo.

geographic variation: None.

conservation: IUCN status—data defi cient. Population
trend—no information.

habitat: F. duchaillui lives in rainforests.

natural history: Observed squirrels escape into the

canopy.

general references: Brugiere et al. 2005; Sanborn 1953b.

Funisciurus isabella (Gray, 1862)

Lady Burton’s Rope Squirrel

description: Lady Bur ton’s rope squirrel is a sma l l a nima l,

with four black stripes down its golden brown dorsal pel-

age. The two median stripes extend from the crown to the

tail, while the lateral stripes begin at the base of the neck.

The four stripes are separated by brown stripes that are

paler in color than the squirrel’s shoulders. The brown back

is grizzled with black hairs that have lighter tips. The ven-

tral pelage is pale gray, with hairs that are gray at the bases

and white toward the tips. The tail is thin and as long as the

body, with a gradient of color from cream at the base to

black toward the end, and is tipped with buff. The pelage

pattern is similar to F. lemniscatus, except that in F. isabella

the buff bands between the center stripes are darker than

the fur between the lateral stripes in F. lemniscatus. Lady

Burton’s rope squirrel was named after the wife of Sir Rich-

ard Burton, who was the British Consul in Fernando Po (=

Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea) at the time the squirrel was

collected.