Alexander's Bush Squirrel

About the Alexander's Bush Squirrel

Alexander's bush squirrel (Paraxerus alexandri) is a species of squirrel native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It is arboreal and lives in tropical moist forests, especially undisturbed mature forests. It is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern". Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate Lieutenant Boyd Alexander, a British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist.

This is a very small squirrel with a head-and-body length of about 100 mm (4 in) and a tail about 110 mm (4.3 in) in length, with a weight of 40 to 70 g (1.4 to 2.5 oz). The fur is a grizzled mixture of yellow, grey and black, with a few black guard hairs, giving an overall impression of a greenish-brown colour. There is a broad band of tawny orange running from the head to the rump, bordered on either side by a thin black band and a narrow creamy-white band. The underparts are a paler greenish-brown colour, sometimes with yellowish blotches. The head is a similar colour, there is a white eye-ring and the ears are fringed with white. The limbs are greenish-brown and there are four digits... Wikipedia →