Pallas's squirrel (''Callosciurus erythraeus''), also known as the red-bellied tree squirrel, is a species of
squirrel
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 ...
native to
Greater China,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
.
Description

Pallas's squirrel is a medium-sized
tree squirrel
Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel Family (biology), family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels." They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania.
They do not form a ...
, with a head-body length of , and a tail in length. Both sexes are of similar size and appearance, and weigh between . The colour of the pelt varies considerably between the many different subspecies, but is generally brownish on the upper body with a more reddish tint on the belly, and often with some black on the tail. The precise pattern and shades of the fur are often used to distinguish subspecies from one another, but make it difficult to distinguish the species as a whole from other, similarly variable, tree squirrel species.
Subspecies
Over 30 subspecies have been identified, although not all are recognised by all authorities:
[
* ''C. e. erythraeus''
* ''C. e. atrodorsalis''
* ''C. e. bartoni''
* ''C. e. bhutanensis''
* ''C. e. bonhotei''
* ''C. e. castaneoventris''
* ''C. e. erythrogaster''
* ''C. e. flavimanus''
* ''C. e. gloveri''
* ''C. e. gongshanensis''
* ''C. e. gordoni''
* ''C. e. griseimanus''
* ''C. e. griseopectus''
* ''C. e. haringtoni''
* ''C. e. hendeei''
* ''C. e. hyperythrus''
* ''C. e. intermedius''
* ''C. e. michianus''
* ''C. e. ningpoensis''
* ''C. e. pranis''
* ''C. e. qinglingensis''
* ''C. e. rubeculus''
* ''C. e. shanicus''
* ''C. e. siamensis''
* ''C. e. sladeni''
* ''C. e. styani''
* ''C. e. thai''
* ''C. e. thaiwanensis''
* ''C. e. wuliangshanensis''
* ''C. e. wulingshanensis''
* ''C. e. zhaotongensis''
* ''C. e. zimmeensis''
]
Distribution and habitat
Pallas's squirrel is found throughout much of southeastern Asia, including far eastern India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
, northern and eastern Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, parts of Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
and Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, much of Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, northern peninsular Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and southern and eastern China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, including Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
. Within this region, they are found within a range of forest habitats below elevation, including tropical and subtropical evergreen, deciduous broadleaf, and subalpine conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
woodlands.
Populations have been introduced in the Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
of Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Dadizele
Moorslede () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Dadizele, Slypskapelle and Moorslede proper. On 1 January 2006, Moorslede had a total population of 10,618. The total area is ...
in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
(where initially mistaken for Père David's rock squirrel
The Père David's rock squirrel (''Sciurotamias davidianus''), also known as the Chinese rock squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to China, where it is found widely in rocky habitats in the eastern and central ...
), the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Cap d'Antibes
Antibes (, also , ; oc, label= Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France, on the Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice.
The town of Juan-les-Pins is in the commune of Antibes and the Sophia ...
in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.[Stuyck, Baert, Breyne & Adriaens (2010). ]
Invasion history and control of a Pallas squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus population in Dadizele, Belgium.
' Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek In these regions it is considered an invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
, as it can cause considerable damage to trees and may outcompete native wildlife such as the red squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent.
In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...
.[ In 2016, the species was included in the European list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that it cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.]
Biology
Like all tree squirrels, Pallas's squirrels are primarily herbivorous. They eat a wide range of different foods, and have differing diets in different parts of their broad range. However, primary foodstuffs include leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruit. They also eat small quantities of insects, as well as occasional bird eggs.[
The squirrels breed throughout the year, and may mate again as soon as they have weaned a previous litter. Gestation lasts 47 to 49 days, and results in the birth of up to four young, with two being typical. The young leave the nest at 40 to 50 days old, and are sexually mature at one year of age. They have lived for up to 17 years in captivity.][
]
Behaviour
Pallas's squirrels are diurnal,[ and inhabit much of the forest canopy, and construct both leaf nests above the ground, and less commonly, in burrows.] Females occupy home ranges of just , which usually do not overlap, while males occupy much larger ranges of , which overlap with those of both nearby males and females. Like many other squirrels, they have been observed to cache acorns in the autumn.[
The squirrels make calls to warn neighbours of predators, and have been observed to mob tree-climbing snakes, with females protecting young being particularly likely to join in.] Males also make loud calls prior to, and after, mating.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q860603
Callosciurus
Rodents of Southeast Asia
Mammals of Asia
Rodents of Bangladesh
Rodents of Myanmar
Rodents of Cambodia
Rodents of China
Rodents of India
Rodents of Laos
Rodents of Malaysia
Mammals of Taiwan
Rodents of Thailand
Rodents of Vietnam
Mammals described in 1779
Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas