The fire-footed rope squirrel (''Funisciurus pyrropus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

Description

It is a relatively small rodent with an adult averaging at a height of . Adults weigh between .

Habitat

It is found in West and Central Africa from Senegal to Uganda and south to Angola. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, and plantations.

Diet

They are primarily

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...

s. Their main diet consists of fruit and seeds. When food is scarce, they resort to eating small termites and ants.

Mating

Several male squirrels chase a single female squirrel in a ritualistic chase. They bear litters of one to two pups.

References

Funisciurus Rodents of Africa Mammals described in 1833 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Frédéric Cuvier {{Squirrel-stub