Funisciurus congicus
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Sciuridae
Funisciurus
Funisciurus congicus

description: 278. Congo Rope Squirrel <i>Funisciurus congicus</i> <b>French:</b> Ecureuil de Kuhl / <b>German:</b> Kongo-Rotschenkelhérnchen / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla listada africana de Congo <b>Taxonomy.</b> Sciurus congicus Kuhl, 1820, “Congo,” Angola. This species is monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> DR Congo (S of Congo River), W Angola, and NW Namibia. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 173-6 mm (males) and 160-5 mm (females), tail mean 160-6 mm (males) and 162-4 mm (females); weight mean 111-2 g. The Congo Rope Squirrel is small-bodied and has golden brown dorsal pelage, peppered with dark banded hairs and darker brownish crown; white eye ring is clearly visible. Most conspicuous are distinct pairs ofstripes that run longitudinally from shoulders to base of tail. A wide cream-colored stripe and narrow dark brown stripe above underscore conspicuous pale band. Venter pelage, cheeks, and margins of pinnae are white, but head is crested with brown fur. Tail is robust and bushy black, frosted with buff on upper surface; underside is white, with alternating rings of black and buff. It often moves with tail reflected on back and distal 25% curls upward. Pelage color varies with location; pale colors are common in arid areas, and coats are darker in humid areas. <b>Habitat.</b> Dense vegetation in coastal palm groves, mopane forests (Colophospermum mopane, Fabaceae), and riparian gallery forests trees. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Congo Rope Squirrel is primarily herbivorous and feeds heavily on seeds,fruits, stems, and shoots including mopane, velvet commiphora (Commiphora mollis, Burseraceae), and Grewia bicolor (Malvaceae). They occasionally eat mopane moth caterpillars (Gonimbrasia belina) when seasonally available. <b>Breeding.</b> There is no information available for this species. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Congo Rope Squirrelis diurnal. Individuals emerge in morning to exit nests in branches or cavities and forage in all structural levels of their habitat. They are noticeably affected by temperature. Activity is highest on cold mornings, whereas on hot days, they use theirtails to shield backs from the sun and orient white side of tail upward to reflect heat. They are extremely agile when moving through the canopy. Tail is held in an Ssshape above their backs while moving. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Nests are made of small pieces of vegetation, such as twigs, leaves, and grass. Congo Rope Squirrels spend their days foraging in the lower canopy and on the ground in home ranges of 0-4-0-5 ha. Densities can reach 12-18 ind/ha in optimal habitat. They live in groups of up to four adults that have strong bonds. Repeated high-pitched chirps are constantly emitted by foraging group members and are believed to maintain group allegiance. Scent permits individual identification and allogrooming appears to be common. Individuals emit alarm calls to which group members respond. Raptorselicit series of high-pitched whistles causing group members to freeze and survey the area. In the case of a ground predator, they chirp and flick theirtails. After a predatoris detected and all group members are alerted, individuals chatter loudly from an elevated position while flicking tails. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Congo Rope Squirrel is widespread, presumably has large populations, and occursin protected areas. Population trends are stable, there are no major range-wide threats, and it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify forlisting in a more threatened category. <b>Bibliography.</b> Amtmann (1966, 1975), Shortridge (1934b), Smithers (1983), Thorington, Koprowskiet al. (2012), Thorington, Pappas &amp; Schennum (2013b), Viljoen (1978, 1997a).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, pp. 648-837 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 833, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226