Bolivian squirrel

The Bolivian squirrel, Sciurus ignitus, is a tree squirrel endemic to South America. It lives along the eastern edge of the Andes from Peru, through Bolivia and Brazil, to extreme northern Argentina, and little is known of it; it may represent a species complex. It is a moderately sized squirrel with a head-body length of 14 to 22 centimetres and a tail of similar length, and adults weigh 183 to 242 grams. The fur is mostly dark olive with black and yellow ticking, fading to pale grey or whitish on the chest and underparts. It has been found in both lowland and montane tropical forests from 200 to 2,700 metres elevation. Bolivian squirrels are diurnal, omnivorous and generally solitary, feeding on nuts, fruits, fungi and insects and building round nests of leaves and twigs 6 to 10 metres above the ground. Five subspecies are recognised, and the IUCN Red List assesses the species as Least Concern.