232 Heliosciurus undulatusgeographic variation: None.
conservation: IUCN—data defi cient. Population trend—
no information.
habitat: The Zanj sun squirrel lives at elevations below
2000 m in lowland and montane forests and thickets, as well
as in secondary growth. This species is typically found in
coastal or riverine forest areas, but records from elevations
as high as 2000 m on Mount Kilimanjaro indicate that this
species is present through a wide altitudinal range.
natural history: Little information is available about
this species. H. undulatus is omnivorous, foraging for most
of the year on fruits, seeds, palm dates, leaves, and buds and
consuming insects during some seasons. Individuals nest in
the hollows of tree trunks or thick branches.general references: Grimshaw et al. 1995; Grubb 1982;
Kingdon 1974, 1997.Myosciurus Thomas, 1909
This genus includes a single species of pygmy squirrel, the
only one found in Africa.
Myosciurus pumilio (Le Conte, 1857)
African Pygmy Squirrel
description: The African pygmy squirrel is distinguished
most obviously by its small mouselike size. The dorsal pel-
age and head are a warm brown speckled with buff ; the eyes
are encircled by pale buff rings. The ventral pelage is light
brown. The ears are brown, lined with bright pale buff on
the inner and outer fringes. The feet are long and narrow.
The thumbs on the forefeet are not visible externally and are
reduced to a vestigial structure among the wrist bones. The
tail is slightly shorter than the body length, slender, and
reddish black. M. pumilio holds its tail straight out behind its
body rather than curled over the back.size: Female—HB 74.8 mm (n = 5); T 50.0 mm (n = 1).
Male—HB 72.1 mm (n = 12); T 55.3 mm (n = 12).
Sex not stated—HB 71.3 mm (n = 2); T 55.0 mm (n = 2);
Mass 16.1 g (n = 10).distribution: The African pygmy squirrel is distributed
from Cameroon southward through Equatorial Guinea, Ga-
bon, and northwestern Republic of the Congo.geographic variation: None.conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—no information.habitat: The African pygmy squirrel is found in lowland
tropical primary forests, and it may be able to live in second-
ary growth.natural history: M. pumilio is diurnal and arboreal. It
utilizes all vegetation levels between the ground and the
canopy, but it primarily remains 0–5 m above the ground.
The African pygmy squirrel forages on the surfaces of
large living and dead tree trunks and branches, fi rst rip-
ping off pieces of bark, then scraping the surface with its
teeth to extract the edible content and dropping the chip to
the ground. Its diet includes bark material (possibly a bac-