222 Funisciurus pyrropusF. p. nigrensis—Nigeria, between the Cross River and the Ni-
ger River. The head is browner.
F. p. niveatus—northern Angola. This form has a grayish
pelage.
F. p. pembertoni—from southern Cameroon to the Mayumbe
Forest in the Republic of the Congo. This subspecies is
brightly colored.
F. p. talboti—Mount Cameroon (Cameroon) and southeast
Nigeria. The fl anks are grizzled red and olive brown.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.
habitat: The fi re-footed rope squirrel is widespread within
intact rainforests, such as tall evergreen forests and older
secondary forests. It exhibits a moderate tolerance to distur-
bance and has been seen in some forest patches. This squir-
rel has been recorded at elevations from sea level to 1650 m
on Mount Bintamane (= Mount Bintumane) in Sierra Leone.
natural history: Fire-footed rope squirrels are diurnal
and terrestrial. They are active soon after dawn and return to
their nests in the late afternoon, between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m.
Individuals are largely solitary, but occasionally they forage
in pairs. Home ranges may diff er by sex; one study tracked
a male covering 5.2 ha, a female ranging over 1.0 ha, and a
subadult female ranging over 2.3 ha. The animals forage
slowly, with males moving approximately 61 m/hour and
females moving 35 m/hour. Fire-footed rope squirrels for-
age on the ground, on fallen logs, and in vegetation below
1.5 m. These squirrels are omnivorous, and their long pointed
noses allow them to raid nests and search small crevices for
ants and termites. Despite this specialization, 80 percent of
their diet consists of fruit and seeds. For their solitary nature,
these squirrels are surprisingly vocal. When mildly alarmed,
an animal emits a single or double “chuck” that resonates
loudly through the forest. As it calls, it rhythmically moves
its tail up and down. Their high-intensity alarm call is a
quick-paced series of staccato machine gun–like “chucks”
that lasts 20–40 seconds and sounds like “tatatata.. .” These
calls are slightly similar to those of Epixerus ebii and are dis-
tinct from any other sympatric Funisciurus species. Another
defi ning trait that separates this species from other Funisci-
urus is its tendency to nest on and under the ground. Al-
though the animals occasionally build nests in the hollows
of fallen logs, they prefer burrows and will sometimes uti-
lize those excavated by other mammals, such as the forest
giant pouched rat (Cricetomys emini) and the African brush-
tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus). Their own burrows
are often situated near termite nests and built as simple runs
with a central nest chamber and entrances on either side.
When breeding, several males will pursue a single female in
a mating chase. Females have four nipples but seem to raise
only one to two kittens per litter.general references: Angelici et al. 2001; Emmons 1975,
1978, 1980; Rosevear 1969.Funisciurus substriatus De Winton, 1899
Kintampo Rope Squirreldescription: The Kintampo rope squirrel is a medium-
sized squirrel with no characteristic markings other than
one faint pale stripe running along each side. The greenish
yellow or ochre dorsal pelage and limbs are speckled with
black hairs; the ventral pelage, cheeks, and bases of the ears
are paler ochre or brown, with hairs that are dark gray at the
base and buff y brown at the tip. The lateral stripes are whit-
ish, bordered ventrally by bands of darker hairs. The long
tail is darker ochre than the dorsal pelage, with conspicuous
rings of black and buff hairs. The dorsal tail hairs are black
with short pale tips, and the lateral hairs are ochre with long
cream-colored tips. This species strongly resembles F. an-
erythrus in form and color.size: Female—HB 161.0 mm (n = 5); T 155.0 mm (n = 5).
Male—HB 165.0 mm (n = 4); T 155.0 mm (n = 4).
Sex not stated—HB 180.8 mm (n = 13); T 170.0 mm (n = 2);
Mass 186.1 g (n = 12).