Fire-footed rope squirrel

Fire-footed rope squirrel
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Placentalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Funisciurus
Species:	F. pyrropus
Binomial name
	Funisciurus pyrropus; (F. Cuvier, 1833)
Subspecies
	F. p. pyrropus; F. p. akka; F. p. leonis; F. p. leucostigma; F. p. mandingo; F. p. nigrensis; F. p. niveatus; F. p. pembertoni; F. p. talboti;
	Geographic range

The fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.

Description

It is a relatively small rodent with an adult averaging at a height of 8.1 inches (204.81 mm). Adults weigh between 225 and 240 grams (7.9 and 8.5 oz).

Habitat

It is found in West and Central Africa from Senegal to Uganda and south to Angola. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and plantations.

Diet

They are primarily herbivores. Their main diet consists of fruit and seeds. When food is scarce, they resort to eating small termites and ants.

Mating

Several male squirrels chase a single female squirrel in a ritualistic chase. They bear litters of one to two pups.

Zoonotic risk

It is recognized as a potential zoonotic reservoir for the monkeypox virus (MPXV; Orthopoxvirus monkeypox), it has transmitted the virus to sooty mangabeys.^[4]

References

↑ Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Funisciurus pyrropus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T8762A115089084. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T8762A22270593.en. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
↑ Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
↑ "Funisciurus pyrropus". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
↑ Riutord-Fe, C., Schlotterbeck, J., Lagostina, L. et al. Transmission of MPXV from fire-footed rope squirrels to sooty mangabeys. Nature 651, 185–190 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10086-y

This squirrel article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[iucn-1] Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Funisciurus pyrropus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T8762A115089084. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T8762A22270593.en. Retrieved 15 February 2025.

[Thorington-2] Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

[3] "Funisciurus pyrropus". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

[4] Riutord-Fe, C., Schlotterbeck, J., Lagostina, L. et al. Transmission of MPXV from fire-footed rope squirrels to sooty mangabeys. Nature 651, 185–190 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10086-y

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]