The Mentawai squirrel (''Callosciurus melanogaster'') is a species of

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

in the family

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

. It is one of 20 or so species endemic to the

Mentawai Islands Mentawai may refer to: * Mentawai Islands * Mentawai Strait * Mentawai people * Mentawai language The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Dialects Ac ...

off the west coast of Sumatra. There are three subspecies: ''C. m. melanogaster'', ''C. m. mentawi'', and ''C. m. atratus''. This small isolated population is listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

References

Callosciurus Mammals of Indonesia Mammals described in 1895 Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Sciuridae-stub