Red-legged Sun Squirrel
Red-legged Sun SquirrelRed-legged Sun SquirrelRed-legged Sun SquirrelRed-legged Sun Squirrel

Red-legged Sun Squirrel

Heliosciurus rufobrachium

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Virunga National Park
8 Verified records at Virunga National Park
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The red-legged sun squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, also commonly known as the isabelline red-legged sun squirrel. It is native to tropical western and central Africa where its range extends from Senegal in the west, through Nigeria and the Republic of Congo to Uganda and Tanzania in the east. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna. This species is thought to be common and has a very wide distribution, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-legged Sun Squirrel sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 8 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Virunga National Park

Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel
LC

Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Heliosciurus ruwenzorii

5–10% · With luck
Boehm's Bush Squirrel
LC

Boehm's Bush Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Paraxerus boehmi

10–20% · With luck
Carruthers' Mountain Squirrel
LC

Carruthers' Mountain Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Funisciurus carruthersi

5–10% · With luck
Forest Giant Squirrel
LC

Forest Giant Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Protoxerus stangeri

Insufficient data
Alexander's Bush Squirrel
LC

Alexander's Bush Squirrel

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Paraxerus alexandri

Insufficient data
Derby's Flying Squirrel
LC

Derby's Flying Squirrel

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Anomalurus derbianus

Insufficient data
African Grass Rat
LC

African Grass Rat

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Arvicanthis niloticus

Insufficient data
Common Rufous-nosed Rat
LC

Common Rufous-nosed Rat

Mammal

Oenomys hypoxanthus

Insufficient data
Peters' Hybomys
LC

Peters' Hybomys

Mammal

Hybomys univittatus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
10–20
May
10–20
Jun
<5
Jul
5–10
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
20–30
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
30–40%
2 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
20–30%
3 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
10–20%
4 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
5–10%
5 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
6 Taï National Park 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
Insufficient data
7 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Red-legged Sun Squirrel in Virunga National Park?

About 7% of wildlife watchers report a Red-legged Sun Squirrel sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 8 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Red-legged Sun Squirrel in Virunga National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Red-legged Sun Squirrel in Virunga National Park in our monthly data.

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