Guayaquil squirrel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guayaquil squirrel |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sciurus
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| Species: |
stramineus
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| Guayaquil Squirrel's range | |
The Guayaquil squirrel (Sciurus stramineus) is a type of tree squirrel found only in Ecuador and Peru. It's a strong squirrel, usually about 18 to 32 centimeters (7 to 13 inches) long from its head to its body. Its tail is about the same length!
The color of its fur can change a lot. In Peru, many squirrels are pale, while in Ecuador, most have darker grey fur on their front half and dull orange fur on their back half. Sometimes, you might even see a black squirrel!
These squirrels spend most of their time in trees and are active during the day. They eat seeds, flowers, other plant parts, mushrooms, and even some insects. You can also find them in cities, living close to people. They can sometimes carry germs that might make people sick. The Guayaquil squirrel is quite common and lives in many places, so it's not considered an endangered animal.
What Does It Look Like?
Guayaquil squirrels are fairly big and weigh around 470 grams (about 1 pound). Their body length is usually between 18 and 32 centimeters (7 to 13 inches). They also have a long tail, measuring 25 to 33 centimeters (10 to 13 inches).
Their scientific name means "straw-colored squirrel," but their fur color can be very different from one squirrel to another. There are at least two main color types. One type, often seen in Peru, has light grey fur mixed with white, a light brown bottom, and a white or pale yellow spot on its neck. The other type, more common in Ecuador, has grey fur on its front and dull orange fur on its back.
Sometimes, you might even see a rare black squirrel! This type has black fur all over its body, except for a white patch around its neck. All Guayaquil squirrels have black ears and a thin grey tail. This grey tail helps tell them apart from the red-tailed squirrel, which is the only other tree squirrel in Ecuador.
Where Do They Live?
Guayaquil squirrels live only in the wild in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. A small group of these squirrels has also been brought to parks in Lima, the capital of Peru.
They live in many different types of forests, from dry ones to humid ones. You can find them on the western slopes of the Andes mountains, at heights between 300 and 2,000 meters (about 980 to 6,560 feet) above sea level. They have also been seen living in coffee farms!
Daily Life of a Squirrel
Like other squirrels, Guayaquil squirrels mostly eat seeds. But they also enjoy flowers, mushrooms, other parts of plants, and even some insects. They are very good at adapting to different places, so they can live in cities too. They also do well when cared for by humans.
These squirrels are active during the day (this is called being diurnal). They spend most of their lives in trees (this is called being arboreal). They build their nests from woven sticks. These nests are about 30 centimeters (12 inches) wide and are usually found in tree branches more than 5 meters (16 feet) above the ground. In places where they are cared for by humans, they can live for up to seven years.
