Subject: Variegated Squirrel, Sciurus variegatoides

Location:Parque Eco-Arqueológico Los Naranjos, near Peña Blanca, Honduras

Stock Number: 09-24756

Comments: This squirrel’s coat is marked in a number of different colors. One also sees variation from individual to individual. There are more than a dozen named subspecies, differing by general color pattern and by geographic region. What (nearly) all Sciurus variegatoides have in common is a tail that has white or cream at the outer edges of the hairs. Also, most members of this species have coarse, grizzled hair on the back.

Like other large squirrels, the Variegated Squirrel is arboreal and is active in the daytime. It builds leafy nests on tree branches. Its diet includes nuts, seed, guava, mango, and various flowers.

This species is found in all the countries of Central America. In Guatemala it is restricted to the far South of the country. The squirrel is also found in a sliver of Mexico near the Guatemalan border.

Related image: A related species, Sciurus granatensis, feeding on fruit in Ecuador.